For individuals with migraine, it should come as no surprise the impact the disease has on their daily life. Work productivity, relationships, and quality of life are all affected by migraine. A recent national survey conducted by Research!America shows that not only are those with migraine concerned about its impact, but so are those without the disease.
A majority of both individuals with migraine (77% of respondents) and without migraine (68% of respondents) say it is important to support research that focuses on the prevention and treatment of migraine.
Specifically, respondents with and without migraine said that employers should make reasonable workplace accommodations for individuals with migraine. This fits with one study that has found that workplace migraine education programming has the potential to significantly impact lost productivity and absenteeism.
A significant majority of all respondents—79% of individuals with migraine and 64% of individuals without migraine—agreed that insurers should cover prevention or alternative migraine treatments.
While those without migraine generally agreed with those who have migraine regarding workplace education and coverage for treatments, there was some disagreement over the stigma related to the disease. More than half of those with migraine felt stigmatized because of the disease; compared to less than one-third of those without migraine. Respondents on both sides linked stigma to an “overreaction” (just a headache) and that it is not a “real” disease.
“The survey findings indicate that the health and economic impact of migraine is broad and must be addressed in order to overcome stigma and aid those suffering from this disabling condition,” said Mary Woolley, president and CEO of Research!America, in a press release. “More research is necessary to understand the biological and environmental factors associated with migraine in order to reduce the prevalence of this disease.”
For more results from this survey, visit www.researchamerica.org.
Research!America is the nation’s largest nonprofit public education and advocacy alliance working to make research to improve health a higher national priority. In June, NHF Executive Director Mary Franklin was the moderator for a Capitol Hill briefing hosted by Research!America titled, “The Value of Research and Prevention in Addressing the Societal Burden of Migraine.”