Musculoskeletal Pain Medication Use in Middle Age and Older Adults in 15 European Countries and Israel

Background: The experience of musculoskeletal pain is widespread among adults and entails high costs to both individuals and society. Few studies look at disparities in pain management. Aims: To examine factors associated with the presence of musculoskeletal pain and the use of pain medication use among individuals aged 50+. Design: Cross-sectional analysis of data from the SHARE. Participants: 64,281 community-dwelling individuals in 15 European countries and Israel. Methods: Bivariate analysis and logistic regression were used to identify factors associated with the presence of musculoskeletal pain and pain medication use. Results: Among our population, the prevalence of musculoskeletal pain at the time of the survey was 40.1%. Women had more pain than men (odds ratio [OR] = 1.477, confidence interval [CI] = 1.428-1.528), those who were 60-69 years old had less pain than younger individuals (OR = 0.927, CI = 0.883-0.973), whereas those who were 80+ years old had more pain than younger individuals (OR = 1.280, CI = 1.199-1.367). About 50% of those with musculoskeletal pain take no medication to manage it. Predictors of pain medication use include male sex (OR = 1.468, CI = 1.389-1.553), more education (OR = 1.034, CI = 1.023-1.041), and better ability to cope economically (OR = 1.446, CI = 1.368-1.527). Those over 70 are less likely than younger individuals to be taking medication to manage their pain (70-79: OR = 0.822, CI = 0.761-0.887), (80+: OR = 0.619, CI = 0.566-0.677). Conclusions: Nurses should be aware of the association of education and income with pain-medication use, which suggests that pain medication use is less accessible to those with fewer resources. Pain is a significant public-health problem, and access to medicine deserves attention from nurses, healthcare workers and policymakers.