Musculoskeletal Health Conditions Represent a Global Threat to Healthy Aging: A Report for the 2015 World Health Organization World Report on Ageing and Health
Musculoskeletal Health Conditions Represent a Global Threat to Healthy Aging: A Report for the 2015 World Health Organization World Report on Ageing and Health
This report, prepared as background for the World Health Organization’s World Report on Ageing and Health, examines how significant musculoskeletal conditions such as back pain, arthritis and osteoporosis are as a global health issue affecting older adults.
What was studied?
The review covered evidence on the prevalence and impact of over 150 distinct musculoskeletal conditions in ageing populations, looking at how they affect mobility and quality of life, and their links to other chronic disease and frailty.
What did they find?
Musculoskeletal disease burden already exceeds what current healthcare systems can manage globally. Pain and reduced mobility often stop people staying active, raising the risk of obesity, heart disease, cancer and diabetes, and compounding toward frailty.
Why it matters
Musculoskeletal pain is rarely just a standalone, localised problem. Left unaddressed, it can trigger a cascade affecting a person's broader long-term health, activity levels and independence, particularly with age.
Why we included it
It demonstrates why treating movement and function as protective of overall health, not just as a pain problem, matters most for long-term independence.
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What was studied?
The review covered evidence on the prevalence and impact of over 150 distinct musculoskeletal conditions in ageing populations, looking at how they affect mobility and quality of life, and their links to other chronic disease and frailty.
What did they find?
Musculoskeletal disease burden already exceeds what current healthcare systems can manage globally. Pain and reduced mobility often stop people staying active, raising the risk of obesity, heart disease, cancer and diabetes, and compounding toward frailty.
Why it matters
Musculoskeletal pain is rarely just a standalone, localised problem. Left unaddressed, it can trigger a cascade affecting a person's broader long-term health, activity levels and independence, particularly with age.
Why we included it
It demonstrates why treating movement and function as protective of overall health, not just as a pain problem, matters most for long-term independence.