Chronic diseases can negatively affect a patient’s ability to perform household chores and leisure-time activities, which are an important part of everyday life. The aim of this thesis was to estimate from the patients’ perspective how chronic diseases affect a patient’s performance in household chores and leisure-time activities. 

The chronic diseases covered in this study are low back pain (LBP), psoriasis, and rheumatoid arthritis (RA). All the patient samples were based on a systematic sampling of patients visiting the disease specific departmental clinics at Turku University Hospital. The participants either completed a questionnaire form or answered a telephone interview. The questions were comprised of both structured answering alternatives and qualitative parts where the participants were able to present their views, in their own words. 

More than half of the patients with psoriasis reported difficulties in performing household chores because of the disease, with physically demanding tasks and those involving contact with water mentioned most often. Among the patients with RA, a disadvantage in household chores was perceived by over four-fifths; with the difficulties affecting a wide range of everyday household activities, and tasks related to house cleaning being mentioned most often. It had been necessary to organize assistance with household chores, because of their disease for three-quarters of the patients with LBP, a quarter of those with psoriasis, and for more than half of the RA patients. Four-fifths of the patients with LBP reported that they had had to reduce or completely give up at least one leisure-time activity because of the LBP, and this disadvantage was most pronounced among sporting activities. More than half of the patients with psoriasis had either reduced or completely given up at least one leisure-time activity because of the disease; those most often mentioned were swimming, ballgames, walking, and social activities. Among RA patients, a reduction or a giving up of leisure-time activities was reported by over three-quarters, with activities related to sport being the most affected. 

Patients with chronic diseases perceive themselves as having considerable disadvantages in the activities of their everyday life, especially with the ordinary things such as performing household chores and leisure-time activities; both of which cover a significant proportion of people’s time outside work. Thus, it is important to include such effects when measuring patients’ quality of life. The findings of this study describe the magnitude of this burden of chronic diseases. The study also demonstrates the type of individual and social effects that improvements in treatment outcomes can be expected to produce.