MSGID: 1:317/3 64a8e687   
   PID: hpt/lnx 1.9.0-cur 2019-01-08   
   TID: hpt/lnx 1.9.0-cur 2019-01-08   
    Pain risk varies significantly across states    
      
     Date:   
         July 7, 2023   
     Source:   
         University at Buffalo   
     Summary:   
         The prevalence of moderate or severe joint pain due to arthritis   
         varies strikingly across American states, ranging from 6.9% of   
         the population in Minnesota to 23.1% in West Virginia, according   
         to a new study.   
      
      
         Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIN Email   
      
   ==========================================================================   
   FULL STORY   
   ==========================================================================   
   The prevalence of moderate or severe joint pain due to arthritis varies   
   strikingly across American states, ranging from 6.9% of the population   
   in Minnesota to 23.1% in West Virginia, according to a new study led by   
   a University at Buffalo researcher.   
      
   The paper published in the journal PAIN is providing new insights --   
   through its novel combination of individual- and macro-level measures --   
   into geographic differences in pain and their causes.   
      
   "The risk of joint pain is over three times higher in some states   
   compared to others, with states in the South, especially the lower   
   Mississippi Valley and southern Appalachia, having particularly high   
   prevalence of joint pain," says Rui Huang, a sociology PhD student in   
   the UB College of Arts and Sciences, and the paper's first author. "We   
   also observed educational disparities in joint pain in all states that   
   vary substantially in magnitude, even after adjusting for demographic   
   characteristics."  The percentage point difference in pain prevalence   
   between people who did not complete high school versus those who obtained   
   at least a bachelor's degree is much larger in West Virginia (31.1),   
   Arkansas (29.7), and Alabama (28.3) than in California (8.8), Nevada   
   (9.8) and Utah (10.1).   
      
   "Education can function as a 'personal firewall' that protects more   
   highly educated people from undesirable state-level contexts, while   
   increasing the vulnerability of less educated individuals," says Huang.   
      
   Nearly 59 million people in the U.S. have arthritis, and at least   
   15 million of them experience severe joint pain because of that   
   condition. Severe joint pain is associated with diminished range of   
   motion, disability and mortality.   
      
   While existing research on the social determinants of pain has relied   
   primarily on individual-level data, individuals are embedded in social   
   contexts, such as a specific U.S. state.   
      
   Different states can have dramatically different policies that affect   
   many aspects of life including opportunities, resources and social   
   relationships, which can in turn influence individuals' pain, a potential   
   influence that has gone largely unexplored in previous research.   
      
   "Very little research has examined the geography of chronic pain, and   
   virtually none has examined the role of state-level policies in shaping   
   pain prevalence," says Hanna Grol-Prokopczyk, PhD, UB associate professor   
   of sociology, and a co- author of the study. "We were excited to identify   
   state characteristics that reduce residents' risk of pain."  The current   
   study does so by combining data on nearly 408,000 adults (ages 25- 80)   
   from the 2017 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System with state-level   
   data about SNAP programs (formerly known as food stamps), Earned Income   
   Tax Credits, income inequality, social cohesion (relationship strength   
   among community members), Medicaid Generosity Scores, and tobacco taxes.   
      
   Although SNAP programs exist in all 50 states, some states offer more   
   expansive benefits to qualifying residents than others. States with more   
   generous SNAP benefits had a lower prevalence of pain. The same was true   
   for states with greater social cohesion, indicating that both material   
   resources and social functioning play critical roles in shaping pain risk.   
      
   "The increase in the generosity of SNAP benefits could potentially   
   alleviate pain by promoting healthier eating habits and alleviating   
   the life stress associated with food insecurity," says Huang. "Social   
   factors such as conflict, isolation and devaluation are also among the   
   'social threats' that can lead to physical reactions such as inflammation   
   and immune system changes."  In addition to providing new information on   
   pain disparities across states, the paper might also fuel a reorientation   
   of pain research that puts equal emphasis on macro- and individual-level   
   factors, according to Huang.   
      
   "Chronic pain can -- and should -- be addressed through macro-level   
   policies, as well as through individual-level interventions," says   
   Huang. "This study also implies that pain research in general should   
   move towards a greater understanding of the macro contextual factors   
   that shape pain and pain inequalities."   
       * RELATED_TOPICS   
             o Health_&_Medicine   
                   # Pain_Control # Arthritis # Fibromyalgia   
             o Mind_&_Brain   
                   # Caregiving # PTSD # Spirituality   
             o Science_&_Society   
                   # STEM_Education # Religion # Resource_Shortage   
       * RELATED_TERMS   
             o Arthritis o Rheumatoid_arthritis o Osteoarthritis o Pain o   
             Joint o Dog_attack o Hip_dysplasia o Wood_Bison   
      
   ==========================================================================   
      
    Print   
      
    Email   
      
    Share   
   ==========================================================================   
   ****** 1 ****** ***** 2 ***** **** 3 ****   
   *** 4 *** ** 5 ** Breaking this hour   
   ==========================================================================   
       * Cystic_Fibrosis:_Lasting_Improvement *   
       Artificial_Cells_Demonstrate_That_'Life_...   
      
       * Advice_to_Limit_High-Fat_Dairy_Foods_Challenged   
       * First_Snapshots_of_Fermion_Pairs *   
       Why_No_Kangaroos_in_Bali;_No_Tigers_in_Australia   
       * New_Route_for_Treating_Cancer:_Chromosomes *   
       Giant_Stone_Artefacts_Found:_Prehistoric_Tools   
       * Astonishing_Secrets_of_Tunicate_Origins *   
       Most_Distant_Active_Supermassive_Black_Hole *   
       Creative_People_Enjoy_Idle_Time_More_Than_Others   
      
   Trending Topics this week   
   ==========================================================================   
   HEALTH_&_MEDICINE Birth_Defects Cholesterol   
   Patient_Education_and_Counseling MIND_&_BRAIN Autism Creativity Depression   
   LIVING_&_WELL Healthy_Aging Fitness Nutrition   
      
      
   ==========================================================================   
      
   Strange & Offbeat   
   ==========================================================================   
   HEALTH_&_MEDICINE Holograms_for_Life:_Improving_IVF_Success   
   Grocery_Store_Carts_Set_to_Help_Diagnose_Common_Heart_Rhythm_Disorder_and   
   Prevent_Stroke DNA_Can_Fold_Into_Complex_Shapes_to_Execute_New_Functions   
   MIND_&_BRAIN AI_Tests_Into_Top_1%_for_Original_Creative_Thinking   
   Everyone's_Brain_Has_a_Pain_Fingerprint_--_New_Research_Has_Revealed_for_the   
   First_Time   
   Scientists_Discover_Spiral-Shaped_Signals_That_Organize_Brain_Activity   
   LIVING_&_WELL Illusions_Are_in_the_Eye,_Not_the_Mind   
   Amputees_Feel_Warmth_in_Their_Missing_Hand   
   Why_Do_Champagne_Bubbles_Rise_the_Way_They_Do?_Scientists'_New_Discovery_Is   
   Worthy_of_a_Toast Story Source: Materials provided by   
   University_at_Buffalo. Original written by Bert Gambini.   
      
   Note: Content may be edited for style and length.   
      
      
   ==========================================================================   
   Journal Reference:   
      1. Rui Huang, Yulin Yang, Anna Zajacova, Zachary Zimmer, Yuhang   
      Li, Hanna   
         Grol-Prokopczyk. Educational disparities in joint pain within and   
         across US states: do macro sociopolitical contexts matter? Pain,   
         2023; DOI: 10.1097/j.pain.0000000000002945   
   ==========================================================================   
      
   Link to news story:   
   https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/07/230707124648.htm   
      
   --- up 1 year, 18 weeks, 4 days, 10 hours, 50 minutes   
    * Origin: -=> Castle Rock BBS <=- Now Husky HPT Powered! (1:317/3)   
   SEEN-BY: 15/0 106/201 114/705 123/120 153/7715 218/700 226/30 227/114   
   SEEN-BY: 229/110 112 113 307 317 400 426 428 470 664 700 291/111 292/854   
   SEEN-BY: 298/25 305/3 317/3 320/219 396/45 5075/35   
   PATH: 317/3 229/426