That nagging pain, that sluggish feeling, that constant concern over your weight gain -- you're not alone in those feelings as a new report suggests half of U.S. adults suffer from some kind of chronic illness or condition.
The compilation of reports, conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, adds that the proportion of adult Americans who have two or more of these conditions stands at more than 25 percent.
"Chronic diseases and conditions such as heart disease, stroke, cancer, diabetes, obesity, and arthritis are among the most common, costly, and preventable of all health problems," the findings begin.
Some of the findings include:
- As of 2012, about half of all adults -- 117 million people -- have one or more chronic health conditions. One of four adults has two or more chronic health conditions.
- Seven of the top 10 causes of death in 2010 were chronic diseases. Two of these chronic diseases -- heart disease and cancer -- together accounted for nearly 48 percent of all deaths.
- Obesity is a serious health concern. During 2009-2010, more than one-third of adults, or about 78 million people, were obese (defined as body mass index [BMI] ≥30 kg/m2). Nearly one of five youths aged 2-19 years was obese (BMI ≥95th percentile).
- Arthritis is the most common cause of disability. Of the 53 million adults with a doctor's diagnosis of arthritis, more than 22 million say arthritis causes them to have trouble with their usual activities.
CDC researchers were quick to point out that all is not lost if people take the time to identify the habits in their lives that are deemed "risk behaviors" by the CDC.
"Health risk behaviors are unhealthy behaviors you can change. Four of these health risk behaviors -- lack of exercise or physical activity, poor nutrition, tobacco use, and drinking too much alcohol -- cause much of the illness, suffering, and early death related to chronic diseases and conditions," they claim.
The report highlights exactly how individuals can control the major risk factors that lead to many of the problems that become chronic later in life. Here the main ones they feel people can control:
- Tobacco use
- Poor diet
- Physical inactivity
- Excessive alcohol consumption
- Poorly treated high blood pressure
- High cholesterol.
All those illnesses come with a cost. The CDC notes that the majority of U.S. health care and the economic costs associated with medical conditions are for the costs of chronic diseases and conditions and associated health risk behaviors. It says 84 percent of health care spending in 2006 was for the 50 percent of the population who have one or more chronic medical conditions, and urges people to control the factors they can.
