Chronic Disease on the Rise in the US
Chronic disease unfortunately continues to rise in the US and globally. It is a complicated, multi-faceted issue touching areas like healthcare, policy, food and beverage companies, education and pharma but the stats are alarming nonetheless.
According to the American Hospital Association, it is predicted that there will be about 170 million Americans with at least one chronic illness by 2030, up from 133 million in 2007 (almost half the population!). And almost half of the people with a chronic illness have more than one(1). A chronic condition is one that persists 3 months or longer and the most common include heart disease, cancer, arthritis and diabetes. And unfortunately this extends to children too. Children have seen steady rises primarily in asthma, mental health conditions, neurodevelopmental disorders like autism and ADHD and obesity(2). The World Health Organization wrote that childhood obesity is one of the most serious public health challenges of the 21st century(3). Some publications stated one in five kids are obese whereas others have stated one in three.
Unfortunately, all states are impacted by chronic disease though the burden varies drastically across states. McKinsey estimates that poor health costs the US economy about $3.2 trillion annually and costs will only increase with the expected rise of chronic conditions(4). Those with chronic conditions tend to need continuous care and use significantly more healthcare resources than those without chronic conditions. Three of every four dollars spent in healthcare is for caring for individuals with chronic conditions(5).
Taking Action for Your Health:
While chronic disease is complex, it is clear that action needs to be taken and here are some things you can for your own health:
Move your body.
Even if it’s a five minute walk around the block, it is a win! Take in the air through your lungs and let the sun hit your face. We all have to start somewhere and small wins with consistency turn into bigger wins over time. Block out that time on your calendar to keep it top of mind. Plus, physical activity has been shown to reduce stress.
Read your food labels.
Having cooked fresh food for every meal would be amazing but not everyone has the time, energy or the resources and that’s where packaged food comes into play. Packaged foods can be helpful and we can find ourselves consuming them without thinking much. However, the thing with buying packaged foods is reading the ingredient label and knowing what the company is using in their products.
I plan to speak to this in another post but unfortunately for example sugar is so prevalent in packaged foods today and is found in food items that you wouldn’t normally think of like ketchup and other condiments. Besides seeing if sugar is snuck in, some other ingredients to look out for include the type of cooking oil used like canola or vegetable, any food colorings or dyes and gluten/wheat. It can be a pain to go through an ingredient list for a packaged food but it does get easier and faster with time. One way to approach this though is to stick to packaged foods that have simple, identifiable ingredients. Unless the company out right makes a statement, you have to wonder if they have your best interest at heart.
Get support.
If something feels off and persists, don’t ignore it or think that things will resolve on their own. Whether it is physical or mental, seek out help to nip things in the butt if possible before things turn chronic.
Improving the health of Americans is a multifaceted challenged, but by being aware and taking action even from a personal level of what we do for ourselves, we can work towards a healthier future.
Stay tuned for future posts where I’ll dive deeper into health and wellness.
Footnotes:
American Hospital Association. (2007). Health of Life: Focus on Wellness. https://www.aha.org/system/files/content/00-10/071204_H4L_FocusonWellness.pdf
Perrin, J. M., Anderson, L. E., & Van Cleave, J. (2014). The rise in chronic conditions among infants, children, and youth can be met with continued health system innovations. Health Affairs (Millwood), 33(12), 2099-2105. doi: 10.1377/hlthaff.2014.0832
World Health Organization. (2020, Nov 19). Children: new threats to health. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/children-new-threats-to-health
Katherine Linzer, Shubham Singhal, Jaana Remes. (2020, October 5). How prioritizing health is a prescription for US prosperity. [McKinsey Global Institute]. Retrieved from https://www.mckinsey.com/publications/mgi-research/how-prioritizing-health-is-a-prescription-for-us-prosperity
American Hospital Association. (2007). Health of Life: Focus on Wellness. https://www.aha.org/system/files/content/00-10/071204_H4L_FocusonWellness.pdf
