Isles rank lowest for arthritis limitations
Staff and wire reports
Hawaii ranked the lowest in the nation for the percentage of workers with arthritis-related limitations, according to a new survey released yesterday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The rate of arthritis-related workplace limitations among workers in Hawaii was 3.4 percent, compared to the national average of nearly 7 percent, the CDC found.
Kentucky had the highest percentage of workers, 15 percent, with such limitations.
Of U.S. workers who have arthritis, the agency's telephone survey found that 33 percent suffered work limitations in 2003, the latest year for which data was available.
In Kentucky, slightly more than half of arthritis sufferers reported work limitations. Nevada had the lowest percentage, with about a fourth of its arthritis sufferers saying their work was limited.
"What was surprising about this was just how high and how strong an impact arthritis does have on work," said Kristina Theis of the CDC. The study is the first to provide a state-by-state breakdown on the impact of arthritis in the workplace.