TY - JOUR
T1 - Chronic pain in South Australia - population levels that interfere extremely with activities of daily living
AU - Currow, David
AU - Agar, Meera
AU - Plummer, John
AU - Blyth, Fiona
AU - Abernethy, Amy
PY - 2010/6
Y1 - 2010/6
N2 - Objective: The prevalence of chronic pain in Australia has only been previously estimated for the state of New South Wales. The aim of this study was to focus estimates on pain severe enough to interfere markedly with daily function irrespective of contact with health services in another region, South Australia. Methods: A whole of population random face-to-face survey method (n=2,973) was used, directly standardised against the whole population for age, gender, country of birth and rurality. Respondents were asked about chronic pain and the degree to which it interfered with daily activities. Results:Tbe prevalence of chronic pain was 17.9%, and pain that interfered extremely with activity 5.0%. Chronic pain was associated with older age, living alone, lower income, not being in full-time work and lower educational levels in bivariate analyses, however in multifactor analyses the only significant associations were not currently working (p<0.001) and lower levels of educational achievement (p=0.042). Pain that interfered extremely with activity in multifactor analysis was associated with work status where the odds ratio for work-related injury compared to those in full time work was 19.3 (95% Cl 7.30-51.3; p<0.001). Conclusions: This study highlights the high levels of pain with extreme effects on day-to-day life (one in 20 people), the complex inter-relationships of the factors (educational achievement, work status) associated with chronic pain and the impacts that these factors have on the people experiencing such disabling pain in the long-term.
AB - Objective: The prevalence of chronic pain in Australia has only been previously estimated for the state of New South Wales. The aim of this study was to focus estimates on pain severe enough to interfere markedly with daily function irrespective of contact with health services in another region, South Australia. Methods: A whole of population random face-to-face survey method (n=2,973) was used, directly standardised against the whole population for age, gender, country of birth and rurality. Respondents were asked about chronic pain and the degree to which it interfered with daily activities. Results:Tbe prevalence of chronic pain was 17.9%, and pain that interfered extremely with activity 5.0%. Chronic pain was associated with older age, living alone, lower income, not being in full-time work and lower educational levels in bivariate analyses, however in multifactor analyses the only significant associations were not currently working (p<0.001) and lower levels of educational achievement (p=0.042). Pain that interfered extremely with activity in multifactor analysis was associated with work status where the odds ratio for work-related injury compared to those in full time work was 19.3 (95% Cl 7.30-51.3; p<0.001). Conclusions: This study highlights the high levels of pain with extreme effects on day-to-day life (one in 20 people), the complex inter-relationships of the factors (educational achievement, work status) associated with chronic pain and the impacts that these factors have on the people experiencing such disabling pain in the long-term.
KW - Chronic complex disease
KW - Chronic pain
KW - Population health planning
KW - Randomised prevalence survey
KW - Symptom burden
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=77956014329&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1111/j.1753-6405.2010.00519.x
DO - 10.1111/j.1753-6405.2010.00519.x
M3 - Article
SN - 1753-6405
VL - 34
SP - 232
EP - 239
JO - Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health
JF - Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health
IS - 3
ER -