The public's perceptions and misperceptions of arthritis.

A telephone survey of a random sample of 300 respondents indicated that the respondents relied mainly on the mass media for their information about arthritis. Almost half of the respondents believed arthritis could be caused by "poor diet" or "cold, wet climates." Furthermore, quack or unproven "treatment" for arthritis, such as bee venom (83%), vitamins (76%), copper bracelets (74%), special diets (57%), and DMSO (54%) were all supported by more than half of the respondents. However, a followup to the random survey, using only diagnosed arthritis patients as respondents, did not reveal as high a level of actual use of unproven treatments. Numerous factors were found which imply that the lay public is not as well informed about arthritis as arthritis patients are, and that sustained, community-wide educational efforts about arthritis are greatly needed.