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Specific Populations

Arthritis and Aboriginal Peoples

  • 19% of all Aboriginal people living off-reserve report having arthritis. If the Aboriginal population had the same age composition as the overall Canadian population, this rate would be 27%.i Data were not available for Aboriginals living on reserves, but other studies have found an even higher prevalence in this population.
  • Aboriginal people living off-reserve who have arthritis are significantly more likely to report activity limitations than non-Aboriginal Canadians with arthritis.ii

Arthritis in Ontario

Ontario Prevalence & Profile

  • In 2005 arthritis and related conditions affected over 1.8 million Ontarians aged 15 years and older (18% of the population).iii
  • By 2026, it’s estimated that 2.8 million Ontarians aged 15 years and older will have arthritis or related conditions. iv
  • The prevalence of arthritis is generally higher in northern Ontario, though there are also areas of high prevalence in southern Ontario.v
  • In Ontario, people of Asian ethnicity are less likely to report arthritis compared to Caucasians, whereas North American Aboriginals living off-reserve are twice as likely to report arthritis.vi Data were not available for Aboriginals living on reserve, but other studies have found an even higher prevalence in this population.
  • In Ontario, 40% of people with arthritis require help with daily activities, compared to 13% of people with other chronic conditions.vii

Ontario Use of Health Services

  • 2.8 million visits were made to a physician for arthritis and related conditions in Ontario in 2000-2001.viii
  • Ontario orthopaedic surgeons spent only 35% of their time dedicated to surgery, while in the U.S., the recommended dedication of time is 62%.ix
  • Treatment with disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDS) is recommended as soon as rheumatoid arthritis is diagnosed. In contrast, the proportion of people receiving DMARDS is much less than the estimated number of people with rheumatoid arthritis in Ontario.x
  • Wait times in Ontario for total hip replacement and total knee replacement increased between 1993-1994 and 2001-2002 with a median wait of 29 weeks for primary total knee replacement and 20 weeks for primary total hip replacement.xi
  • For every 175 people who self-report arthritis:
    • 137 see a doctor
    • 44 see a specialist
    • 4 go to the hospital
    • 2 receive arthroscopic surgery
    • 1 receives a total joint replacement xii
  • As of 2000, 158 physicians in Ontario were identified as having received rheumatology training and having a practice of rheumatology care.xiii
  • In 2000, Ontarians with non-urgent arthritis waited an average of 10 weeks for an initial rheumatology consultation. Patients with inflammatory arthritis waited less than 4 weeks.xiv

Characteristics of Canadians with Arthritis

  • Canadians with arthritis are more likely to:
    • be widowed/separated/divorced than Canadians without arthritis;xv
    • have a lower level of formal education than Canadians without arthritis;xvi
    • have a lower income than Canadians without arthritis;xvii
    • be overweight than Canadians without arthritis.xviii
  • Canadians with arthritis report significantly higher rates of having sleeping problems “most of the time” compared to Canadians with another or no chronic condition.xix
  • Canadians with arthritis report significantly higher rates of clinical depression compared to Canadians with another or no chronic condition.xx
  • The proportion of Canadians with arthritis who are not in the labour force is significantly higher than the proportion of those with another or no chronic condition.xxi

Women and Arthritis

General Facts

  • Two thirds of Canadians with arthritis are women.xxii
  • Next to non-food allergies, arthritis is the second most common chronic condition reported by Canadian women.xxiii
  • Mortality rates attributed to arthritis are higher in women than men for every age group, with 4 female deaths for every 3 male deaths. xxiv
  • Osteoarthritis affects nearly two times more women than men, and rheumatoid arthritis affects approximately 2.5 times more women than men.xxv
  • In 1998-1999 50% of Canadian women with arthritis reported using some treatment for arthritis, slightly higher than 46% of men who had done so.xxvi
  • The higher prevalence of arthritis among Canadian women is only partially reflected in the rates of hip and knee replacement procedures; the slightly higher rate of hip and knee replacement procedures among women does not wholly reflect their greater need.xxvii

Disability and Activity Limitations

  • Canadian women report a slightly higher prevalence of disability than men in all age groups except for those under 15 years of age.xxviii
  • In 1998-1999 approximately 50% of Canadian women with arthritis reported long term disability, compared to 20% of women with other chronic conditions, and 5% of women with no chronic conditions.xxix
  • In 1998-1999 45% of Canadian women with arthritis reported pain that prevented them from some activities, and 21% reported pain that prevented them from participating in all or most activities.xxx
  • In 1998-1999 43% of Canadian women with arthritis reported that they were dependent upon others to assist them with one or more activities of daily living (personal care, household chores, shopping etc.). Only 30% of men with arthritis reported dependency in this area. 3% of women with no chronic conditions reported a need for assistancexxxi
  1. Arthritis in Canada. September 2003. Chapter 2, p. 25
  2. Ibid., p. 28, Figure 2-32
  3. Current ACREU Work
  4. Arthritis and Related Conditions in Ontario: ICES Research Atlas, 2nd edition. September 2004. Chapter 2, p. 18, Figure 2.4
  5. Ibid., p. 21, Figure 2.9
  6. Ibid., p. 22, Figure 2.10
  7. Ibid., p. 24, Figure 2.13
  8. Ibid., Chapter 4, p. 68
  9. Ibid., Key findings & policy options, p. xviii
  10. Ibid., Chapter 5, p. 88
  11. Ibid., Key findings & policy options, p. xviii
  12. Ibid., Chapter 1, p. 5, Figure 1.2
  13. Ibid., Chapter 3, p.44, Figure 3.1
  14. Ibid.
  15. Arthritis in Canada. September 2003. Chapter 2, p. 12, Table 2-2
  16. Ibid., p. 12, Figure 2-6
  17. Ibid., p. 12, Figure 2-7
  18. Ibid., p. 13, Figure 2-8
  19. Ibid., p. 18, Figure 2-17
  20. Ibid., p. 19, Figure 2-19
  21. Ibid., p. 20, Figure 2-20
  22. Ibid., Chapter 2, p. 8
  23. Ibid.
  24. Ibid., Chapter 3, p. 36, Figure 3-1
  25. Kasman NM, Badley EM. The Impact of Arthritis on the Women of Canada. In Women’s Health Surveillance Report. A multidimensional look at the health of the Canadian Women. Toronto: Canadian Institute for Health Information; 2003. p. 1
  26. Ibid., p. 4
  27. Arthritis in Canada. September 2003. Chapter 6, p. 91
  28. Participation and Activity Limitation Survey 2001, Statistics Canada, Chart 1
  29. Kasman NM, Badley EM. The Impact of Arthritis on the Women of Canada. In Women’s Health Surveillance Report. A multidimensional look at the health of the Canadian Women. Toronto: Canadian Institute for Health Information; 2003. p. 3
  30. Ibid.
  31. Ibid.
 
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