Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2017 Oct;69(10):1582-1589.
doi: 10.1002/acr.23175.

Education and Employment Participation in Young Adulthood: What Role Does Arthritis Play?

Arif Jetha  1 , Kristina A Theis  2 , Michael A Boring  3 , Kamil E Barbour  2
Affiliations

Education and Employment Participation in Young Adulthood: What Role Does Arthritis Play?

Arif Jetha et al. Arthritis Care Res (Hoboken). 2017 Oct.

Abstract

Objective: To examine the association between arthritis diagnosis and education and employment participation among young adults, and to determine whether findings differ by self-rated health and age.

Methods: Data from the National Health Interview Survey, in the years 2009-2015, were combined and analyzed. The study sample was restricted to those ages 18-29 years, either diagnosed with arthritis (n = 1,393) or not (n = 40,537). The prevalence and correlates of employment and education participation were compared by arthritis status. Demographic characteristics, social role participation restrictions, health factors, and health system use variables were included as covariates. Models were stratified for age (18-23 versus 24-29 years) and self-rated health. Weighted proportions and univariate and multivariate associations were calculated to examine the association between arthritis and education and employment participation.

Results: Respondents with arthritis were more likely to be female, married, and report having more social participation restrictions, fair/poor health, and more functional limitations than those without arthritis. In multivariate models, arthritis was significantly associated with lower education (prevalence ratio [PR] 0.75 [95% confidence interval (95% CI) 0.57-0.98]) and higher employment participation (PR 1.07 [95% CI 1.03-1.13]). Additional stratified analyses indicated an association between arthritis diagnosis and greater employment participation in those ages 18-23 years and reporting higher self-rated health.

Conclusion: Young adults with arthritis may be transitioning into employment at an earlier age than their peers without arthritis. To inform the design of interventions that promote employment participation, future research on the education and employment experiences of young adults with arthritis is needed.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Conflicts of Interest: None to report

References

    1. Allaire S, Wolfe F, Niu J, Lavalley M, Michaud K. Work disability and its economic effect on 55–64-year-old adults with rheumatoid arthritis. Arthritis Care & Research. 2005;53(4):603–8. - PubMed
    1. Gignac MAM, Cao X, Lacaille D, Anis AH, Badley EM. Arthritis-related work transitions: A prospective analysis of reported productivity losses, work changes, and leaving the labor force. Arthritis Care & Research. 2008;59(12):1805–13. - PubMed
    1. Badley EM, Wang PP. The contribution of arthritis and arthritis disability to nonparticipation in the labor force: a Canadian example. The Journal of Rheumatology. 2001;28(5):1077–82. - PubMed
    1. Moorthy LN, Peterson MG, Hassett A, Baratelli M, Lehman TJ. Impact of lupus on school attendance and performance. Lupus. 2010;19(5):620–7. Epub 2010 Jan 11. - PubMed
    1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Arthritis: Addressing the nation’s most common cause of disability at a glance 2015. 2015. [cited 2015 November 30th]; Available from: http://www.cdc.gov/chronicdisease/resources/publications/aag/arthritis.htm

MeSH terms