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CDC data: One in five American adults have arthritis
Between 2013 and 2015, 22.7% of noninstitutionalized civilian American adults had doctor-diagnosed arthritis, according to recently a published Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
Kamil E. Barbour, PhD, in the Arthritis Program of the Division of Population Health at the CDC, and colleagues assessed data between 2013 and 2015 from the National Health Interview Survey, an in-person interview of health status and behavior.
They found, on average, 54.4 million American adults (22.7%) had doctor-diagnosed arthritis. Of these, investigators found 23.7 million had activity limitations due to arthritis. Arthritis prevalence and arthritis activity limitations were 49.3% and 54.5%, respectively, among adults with heart disease; 47.1% and 54%, respectively, among adults with diabetes; and 30.6% and 49%, respectively, among adults with obesity. Although physical activity can improve physical function by about 40% and self-management education workshops can reduce pain, fatigue and depression by 10% to 20%, according to the report, one in three adults with arthritis reported no leisure-time physical activity and 11% of adults took a self-management workshop. In addition, the CDC reported adults with arthritis were more likely to attend a self-management workshop after recommendation by a health care provider. – by Will Offit
Disclosure: Barbour reports no relevant financial disclosures.