Associations of current and childhood socioeconomic status and health outcomes amongst patients with knee or hip osteoarthritis in a Mexico City family-practice setting

Objectives To examine the association of current and childhood socioeconomic status (SES) with patient-reported functional status, quality of life and disability in patients with knee osteoarthritis (OA) Methods We conducted a cross-sectional study amongst individuals seeking care for any medical reason in a primary care family-practice clinic in Mexico City. We included individuals with self-reported doctor-diagnosed arthritis and administered a survey using validated Spanish language versions of the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC), the Osteoarthritis of Lower Limbs and Quality of Life (AMICAL), and the Stanford Health Assessment Questionnaire-Disability Index (HAQ-DI). To estimate current and childhood SES, we and used a validated tool to estimate income quintile, as well as education level and occupation type, for both the patient and their parents. Results We recruited 154 patients and excluded 8 patients. Estimated income and education levels were correlated with WOMAC, AMICAL and HAQ-DI scores, and significant differences were found in all scores by occupation type. The association for estimated income and all scores remained significant independently of age, sex, BMI, and presence of diabetes or hypertension. Maternal education was best correlated with AMICAL scores, though its effect seemed largely mediated by its association with current SES measures. Conclusions Current and – to a lesser extent – childhood Socioeconomic Status impacts functional status, quality of life and disability amongst OA patients in Mexico City. Awareness of life-course SES can help identify patients at risk for worse outcomes.