Prevalence of joint pain is higher among women in rural Japan than urban Japanese-American women in Hawaii

Objective—Environmental factors such as farming contribute to the frequency of joint symptoms. The purpose of this study is to explore the possible role of environ-ment (lifestyle), by comparing the preva-lence of joint pain between Japanese in a rural farming district in Japan and in urban Hawaii. Subjects and Methods—Current or previ-ous pain at specific joints was surveyed among 222 women in rural Japan and 638 Japanese women in urban Hawaii aged 60–79. The age adjusted prevalence was compared using logistic regression