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BACKGROUND The World Health Organization proclaimed the period between 2000 and 2010 as the Bone and Joint Decade (BJD). The BJD initiative set out to raise awareness regarding increasing incidence of musculoskeletal (MSK) conditions. The objective of this study was to assess the degree to which the BJD goals were met in Kuwait. METHODS A gap analysis methodology was used to identify differences between the ideal state, defined as achieving the BJD goals, and the current state, defined as the extent to which BJD goals were achieved. RESULTS Our gap analysis indicated that the majority of the BJD targets were not met in Kuwait; however, given the rising assumed incidence and prevalence of MSK disorders in Kuwait, it is critical to outline mechanisms for moving forward. CONCLUSIONS The BJD goals are reachable in Kuwait. Attaining them requires a strong and sustainable commitment at many levels of government, provider organizations and the research community.

The purpose of this exploratory research was to examine perceptions of mothers with children with disabilities (CWD) in Kuwait in order to understand the meaning of disability from their perspective and to explore the extent to which such perceptions influence rehabilitative services that their children receive. Ten semi-structured interviews were conducted with mothers of CWD receiving services at a large pediatric facility in Kuwait. Four themes emerged from the interviews: (1) mother's perceptions of disability, (2) mother's extended caregiver role, (3) religious beliefs as a coping strategy, and (4) perception of rehabilitation services. Our findings suggest that despite a traditional acceptance of disability as divine intervention or a challenge sent to them by God, mothers were motivated to maximize rehabilitation services in order to improve the functional capacity of their children. Kuwaiti mothers may hold both the fatalistic view of disability, and the belief that the course of disability can be altered through a rehabilitative intervention, in tension. An appreciation of this phenomenon might move toward a rehabilitation delivery model that integrates and harmonizes such beliefs.