• Introduction
• Impact of Chronic Disease
• Risk Factors
• Resources

Impact of Chronic Disease

Future Outlook for Chronic Disease

So far we have seen that chronic diseases are increasing. We have also seen that some groups have more chronic diseases than others. Also, access to healthcare is a growing problem for underserved populations. Now let’s look at some future trends for chronic disease.

Americans are living longer lives.

The outlook for chronic disease may seem bleak, but improvements are made in diagnosis and treatment every day. These improvements allow people to live longer. The following chart projects the life span of Americans to the year 2040. Today, about 13% of our population is over 65. In the year 2040 that number will be over 20%.

Source: Chronic Conditions: Making the Case for Ongoing Care

Children in the U.S. are dealing with more chronic disease.

Although we are making advancements that allow us to live longer, there is still the problem of increases in chronic disease rates. For children, chronic disease diagnosis is almost four times as high as it was 40 years ago. This chart illustrates that change.

Source: Almanac of Chronic Disease 2008 Edition: Statistics and Commentary on Chronic Disease and Prevention

One in three children will develop diabetes in their lifetime.

The CDC predicts that one in three children born in 2000 will develop diabetes in their lifetime. This number is based on trends of low activity and obesity. The number also depends on race and ethnicity. For white children about 30% of boys and girls will develop diabetes. For Black/African American boys the number is 40% and for girls it is 45%. The outlook is worse for Hispanic children: 45% of boys and 53% of girls will have diabetes.

Source: WebMD Article: One in Three Kids Will Develop Diabetes

The trends we have seen present us with a challenge. Medical researchers and providers are working to improve healthcare. Patient navigators are working with patients to help them live healthy lives and with fewer diseases.

Let’s move to part two of the tutorial and look at ways we can increase good health and decrease chronic disease.>>>

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