Self-Management Education Participation Among US Adults With Arthritis: Who's Attending?

Abstract

Objective: Self-management education (SME) programs teach people with chronic conditions skills to manage their health conditions. We examined patterns in SME program participation among US adults with arthritis ages ≥18 years.

Methods: Respondents with arthritis were those who reported ever being diagnosed with arthritis by a doctor or health care provider. We analyzed 2014 National Health Interview Survey data to estimate the percentage (unadjusted and age-standardized) who ever attended an SME program overall and for selected subgroups, representativeness of SME participants relative to all adults with arthritis, and trends in SME course participation.

Results: In 2014, 1 in 9 US adults with arthritis (11.3% [95% confidence interval (95% CI) 10.4-12.3]; age-standardized 11.4% [95% CI 10.0-12.9]) had ever participated in an SME program. SME participation (age-standardized) was highest among those with ≥8 health care provider visits in the past 12 months (16.0% [95% CI 13.1-19.4]). Since 2002, the number of adults with arthritis who have ever participated in SME has increased by 1.7 million, but the percentage has remained constant.

Conclusion: Despite its many benefits, SME participation among US adults with arthritis remains persistently low. By recommending that their patients attend SME programs, health care providers can increase the likelihood that their patients experience SME program benefits.