Epidemiological survey on osteoarthritis in army cadres above regimental commander at one army unit

Objective To investigate the prevalence of osteoarthritis(OA) in the army cadres above the regimental commander, and explore its related risk factors. Methods Samples were selected through cluster random sampling method. A total of 460 soldiers were designated from 17 cadre’s sanatoriums in an army unit, and all of them were surveyed by osteoarthritis questionnaire for solider which was designed by author, and accepted physical examination, X-ray and laboratory examination as well. The statistical analyses were performed by the SPSS 13.0 software, count data were analyzed by chi-square test; the variables with P<0.05 in single factor analysis were included in the logistic regression analysis model. Results The prevalence of OA in the surveyed cadres was 52.8%. Logistic regression analysis demonstrated that age(OR=2.499, 95%CI=1.578-3.935, P<0.01), military ranks(OR=2.743, 95%CI=1.902-3.940, P<0.05), training intensity (OR=1.015, 95%CI=1.002-3.104, P<0.05), work intensity(OR=1.855, 95% CI=1.035-3.297, P<0.05), history of trauma/surgery(OR=6.831, 95%CI=5.320-8.287, P<0.01) and BMI(OR=1.194, 95%CI=1.077-3.487, P<0.01) were closely related to osteoarthritis. Its prevalence increased with age, military ranks, work intensity, and body mass index(BMI). Conclusion The prevalence of OA in the elderly solider is higher. Age, military ranks, training intensity, work intensity, history of trauma/surgery and BMI are the risk factors. Key words: Osteoarthritis; Epidemiologic studies; Prevalence; Risk factors