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Media Releases
May is National Arthritis Month
Columbia, Mo. (May 1, 2005) - Arthritis is the leading cause of physical disability in the United States costing the U.S. economy more than $86 billion annually. Yet the disease remains poorly understood and tragically underestimated. Contrary to popular belief, arthritis is neither "just aches and pains" nor "an old person's disease." It is an umbrella term for more than 100 conditions, all of which are debilitating and many of which can be life threatening. The Missouri Arthritis Rehabilitation Research and Training Center (MARRTC) at the University of Missouri-Columbia seeks to increase awareness about this growing epidemic.
Arthritis and related conditions affect more than 70 million people, twice the number of people diagnosed with cancer and heart disease. Thus, arthritis poses both a formidable medical challenge, as well as a heavy strain on the U.S. health care system and economic infrastructure. Arthritis saps the nation's economy of billions of dollars, an amount that is expected to grow as the population ages.
Some of the projects MARRTC is working on to help increase knowledge about arthritis and arthritis disability include:
"America's Emerging Health Care Crisis" Conference, May 12, MU Campus
The recent removal of Vioxx raised a number of questions about America's ability to cope with the health-care needs of its aging baby boomers. "America's Emerging Health Care Crisis" will feature three exciting presentations about the state of American health care and the danger arthritis poses to the health care system as discussed by top experts in the medical and journalism fields. Following the presentations, the discussion will be opened to the audience for a lively Q&A period. The invited panelists are: Rear Admiral Steven Galson, M.D., Acting Director, Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, FDA, Geneva Overholser, Curtis B. Hurley Chair in Public Affairs Reporting, Missouri School of Journalism, and former ombudsman for The Washington Post, and Captain Joe Sniezek, M.D., M.P.H, U.S. Public Health Service Chief, Arthritis Program National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC.) This event will take place at 11 a.m. - 1 p.m. on Thursday, May 12, 2005 in the Monsanto Auditorium, Life Sciences Center on the University of Missouri-Columbia campus. The event is free and open to the public.
Project 1: RAhelp.org: An Online Self-management Program for Adults with Rheumatoid Arthritis
This online workshop teaches people how to cope with the disability in their daily lives. The program will offer participants additional education and support to enhance the services and advice they already receive from their doctor. Adults, 18 or older, who have been diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis, will be able to participate. Participants also will learn how to cope with rheumatoid arthritis in several distinct areas including pain reduction, self-esteem, self-efficacy, interpersonal relationships, fatigue, stress reduction and social support.
Project 3: Worksite Vocational Rehabilitation Intervention to Improve Employment Outcomes for Persons With Arthritis
This project is designed to find ways to help people with arthritis perform their jobs more easily while minimizing arthritis pain at the workplace. Researchers will look at whether educational materials and occupational therapists on the work place can improve a person's job satisfaction, capacity to perform work, retain income, and maintain or improve their physical health psychological wellbeing.
Project 5: Arthritis Treatments: Methods for Evaluating Information (online course)
Evaluating results of studies can be difficult for a person who is not well versed in research and statistical methods. This new online course is designed to help those interested in synthesizing and comprehending research results. The course's goal is to help physicians and health care professionals learn how to critically review research methods and statistical aspects of studies. The course is free of charge and will take place May 9, 2005 through July 8, 2005. Some of the topics that participants will cover include types of research and developing a research question; basic probability; and writing and reviewing research papers and proposals. Participants can receive General Continuing Education Units (CEU) for this course.
For more information about MARRTC and its projects, log on to log on to www.marrtc.org
As part of the MU Health Communication Research Center (HCRC), MARRTC's mission is to become a national leader in the areas of disability management and communication, improve the quality of life and promote independent living among people who have arthritis and arthritic conditions. MARRTC's core message is "Disability is everyone's issue."
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