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Does self-management lead to sustainable health benefits in people with arthritis? A 2-year transition study of 452 Australians.

Osborne, Richard, Wilson, Tanya, Lorig, Kate and McColl, Geoffrey 2007, Does self-management lead to sustainable health benefits in people with arthritis? A 2-year transition study of 452 Australians., Journal of rheumatology, vol. 34, no. 5, pp. 1112-1117.


Title Does self-management lead to sustainable health benefits in people with arthritis? A 2-year transition study of 452 Australians.
Author(s) Osborne, Richard
Wilson, Tanya
Lorig, Kate
McColl, Geoffrey
Journal name Journal of rheumatology
Volume number 34
Issue number 5
Start page 1112
End page 1117
Publisher Journal of Rheumatology Pub. Co.
Place of publication Toronto, Canada
Publication date 2007-05
ISSN 0315-162X
1499-2752
0380-0903
Summary Objective: To evaluate the Arthritis Self-Management Course (ASMC) when applied in a nationwide context.

Methods: Four hundred fifty-two people who participated in the ASMC across Australian states took part in a longitudinal followup study. ASMC is a 6 week, 2 h group educational program designed to assist people with chronic illness to better manage their condition. Measures of program effectiveness included health status and service utilization. Data were collected on 3 occasions: before intervention (baseline) and 6 months and 2 years after the program.

Results: Several indicators of health status showed improvement at 6 months following the ASMC. These included reduction in pain (4%; p < 0.001), fatigue (3%; p < 0.01), and health distress (12%; p < 0.001) as well as increase in self-efficacy (6%; p < 0.001). Increased self-efficacy was a significant predictor of positive change in health status. Health-related behaviors such as aerobic exercise also increased, with the proportion of people who did little or no exercise decreasing by up to 8%. These changes were sustained at 2 years. There was an increase in use of analgesics at 6 months and an increase in use of nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs at 2 years. No changes in healthcare utilization (physician visits, allied health visits, and hospitalizations) were observed.

Conclusion: The ASMC is a widely applied program in which participants benefit through a reduction in pain, fatigue, and health distress. Although the absolute changes in health status are small, the low cost and wide application of the intervention suggests the program may have a substantial public health effect.
Language eng
Field of Research 110399 Clinical Sciences not elsewhere classified
Socio Economic Objective 970111 Expanding Knowledge in the Medical and Health Sciences
HERDC Research category C1.1 Refereed article in a scholarly journal
Copyright notice ©2007, Journal of Rheumatology Pub. Co.
Persistent URL http://hdl.handle.net/10536/DRO/DU:30019424

Document type: Journal Article
Collection: School of Health and Social Development
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Created: Mon, 14 Sep 2009, 14:42:46 EST by Lorraine Driscoll