Table 1

Characteristics of participants

NorwayDenmarkPortugalUKTotal
Number of responders714913599354
Age, mean (SD)66.1 (10.18)57.6 (7.55)69.2 (8.15)71.7 (10.07)67.7 (10.07)
Female, n (%)48 (68)26 (53)104 (77)59 (60)237 (67)
BMI, mean (SD)28.4 (4.22)27.3 (2.58)29.5 (5.23)28.0 (5.20)28.5 (4.78)
WOMAC SF-8,* mean (SD)46.4 (19.17)31.6 (15.65)28.7 (22.53)†45.8 (19.58)40.4 (20.65)
Inflammatory arthritis,‡ n (%)19 (31)29 (59)56 (42)4 (4)108 (31)
Chronic disease,§ n (%)32 (46)31 (63)98 (73)34 (34)195 (55)
  • *Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC), Short Form 8-item function scale score (0–100, 0=best).

  • †n=41.

  • ‡Inflammatory arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, Sjogren's syndrome, psoriasis, psoriatic arthritis, polymyalgia rheumatica, systemic lupus erythematosus and rheumatoid arthritis.

  • §Chronic disease: heart disease, lung disease, other musculoskeletal disorder, cancer and diabetes.

  • BMI, body mass index.