Social science & medicine
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Social science & medicine · Jan 2002
Severity of musculoskeletal pain: relations to socioeconomic inequality.
The main aim of the study was to investigate possible associations between severity of non-inflammatory musculoskeletal pain and residential areas of contrasting socioeconomic status. A 4-page questionnaire inquiring about musculoskeletal pain, and also physical disability, mental health, life satisfaction and use of health services was sent to 10,000 randomly selected adults in Oslo, Norway. For the purpose of this study, we analysed data from respondents living in two socioeconomically contrasting areas of the city. ⋯ Non-inflammatory musculoskeletal pain seems to be a more serious condition in a population living in a less affluent residential area compared with a more affluent one, even in an egalitarian society like Norway. Increased disease severity may thus amplify the impact of greater chronic morbidity in the disadvantaged part of the population. This should have implications for health care provision if the goal is treatment according to needs.