Employment exit and entry among U.S. adults with and without arthritis during the Great Recession. A longitudinal study: 2007-2009, NHIS/MEPS.
K A Theis, D Roblin, C G Helmick and 1 others
PMID 29865104WHAT IT FOUND
During the Great Recession, 27.0% of U.S. adults with arthritis stopped work versus 16.8% without; 24.8% started work versus 38.7%.
After adjustment, the arthritis association with lower work entry was null.
Key findings
01By the end of the study period, 27.0% of adults with arthritis stopped work, compared with 16.8% of adults without arthritis.
02By the end of the study period, 24.8% of adults with arthritis started work, compared with 38.7% of adults without arthritis.
03In the fully adjusted model, arthritis was associated with 50% greater risk of stopping work (HR = 1.5, 95% CI = 1.1-2.0), but adjusted models did not show a significant arthritis association with starting work.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for OTs
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What it does not show
All information was self-reported, including arthritis status, so some people may have been misclassified. The study was observational and not an experimental design, so it cannot prove that arthritis caused work loss or prevented work entry. The overall decline in employment during the recession was not statistically significant in either group. After adjustment, the lower chance of starting work associated with arthritis was no longer statistically significant, so the work-entry finding is uncertain. Participants aged 18 to 29 were excluded, so results do not cover younger adults.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that arthritis alone caused the higher work-loss rate or that workplace accommodations will prevent job loss. This was an observational survey with self-reported arthritis, and the adjusted models did not show a significant lower chance of starting work.