Health Condition

A health condition is a departure from a state of physical or mental well-being. 

In the National Health Interview Survey, each condition reported as a cause of an individual's activity limitation has been classified as "chronic," "not chronic," or "unknown if chronic," based on the nature of the condition and/or the duration of the condition. Conditions that are not cured once acquired (such as heart disease, diabetes, and birth defects in the original response categories, and amputee and "old age" in the ad hoc categories) are considered chronic, while conditions related to pregnancy are always considered not chronic. Additionally, other conditions must have been present 3 months or longer to be considered chronic. An exception is made for children less than 1 year of age who have had a condition "since birth," as these conditions are always considered chronic. The National Nursing Home Survey uses a specific list of chronic conditions, also disregarding time of onset. 

SOURCE: Health, United States

An acute condition is a type of illness or injury that ordinarily lasts less than 3 months, was first noticed less than 3 months before the reference data of the interview, and was serious enough to have had an impact on behavior.  (Pregnancy is also considered to be an acute condition despite lasting longer than 3 months).

SOURCE: National Health Interview Survey

This page last reviewed January 11, 2007