Is self-reported information on the type of arthritis valid?
The CDC Arthritis Program strongly discourages the collection and reporting of self-reported data on arthritis type (e.g., osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, lupus) because self-reported condition data have been shown to be inaccurate based on studies done by the program and other researchers. For example, the CDC Arthritis Program compared how frequently the arthritis condition type reported by participants in the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey1 (MEPS) agreed with each of the participants’ doctor’s diagnosis. This study found that among persons whose doctor had diagnosed them with osteoarthritis, only 9% of survey participants reported that they had osteoarthritis. Since self-reported information on type of arthritis is not valid, the CDC arthritis program discourages states and researchers from measuring and using data on self-reported arthritis condition type.
