Doctor-diagnosed arthritis affected 21 percent of all adults on average in 2003–05.¹ Eight percent of persons aged 18 to 44 years, 29 percent of persons aged 45 to 64 years, and 50 percent of persons aged 65 years and older had doctor-diagnosed arthritis during 2003–05.¹ The rate for arthritis was higher among women than men and higher among the white non-Hispanic and black non-Hispanic populations than among the Hispanic population and persons of two or more races.²

Osteoporosis, based on a person's bone mineral density of the thigh bone, is found in about 10 percent of persons aged 50 years and older in the United States. Women are at higher risk for the disease, with about 16 percent of women at risk, compared with 3 percent of men.³ Risk also increases with age; 19.0 percent, 32.5 percent, and 50.5 percent of women aged 65 to 74 years, 75 to 84 years, and 85 years and older, respectively, are at risk.⁴

Back pain is a common health problem that can range from a dull, constant ache to a sudden, sharp pain that can leave a person incapacitated. It can come on suddenly—from an accident, a fall, or lifting something too heavy—or it can develop slowly as the result of age-related changes to the spine. Back pain affects an estimated 8 out of 10 people at some point in their lifetime. Age, fitness level, diet, heredity, race and ethnicity, the presence of other diseases, and occupational risk factors contribute to back pain risk.⁵

Measures of preventing disability among persons with arthritis include those relating to pain, limitations, counseling, employment, early diagnosis, and education. Since the beginning of the decade, several health initiatives have been implemented to address these measures among persons with arthritis. Through technical support, including but not limited to scientific information and health communication, these initiatives strive to raise awareness, encourage and assess State activities, and expand the use of evidence-based interventions in arthritis education and physical activity. Since 1999, 36 State health departments have received support and technical assistance.⁶ Other campaigns have promoted underused arthritis interventions and public awareness about arthritis-related disability and its costs for individuals, select populations, and the broader society.⁷

Prevention approaches and measures apply to other objectives in this focus area as well. For example, a measure of preventing disability among persons with chronic back conditions is reducing activity limitations in this population.^{8, 9, 10, 11} For persons with osteoporosis, one way to prevent the effects of the illness is through diagnosis and treatment to reduce the number of hip and vertebral fractures, thereby preserving the individual's mobility, functionality, and independence.¹²

A primary focus of the arthritis, osteoporosis, and chronic back condition objectives is the elimination of health disparities. While substantial disparities have been identified for specific arthritis and musculoskeletal diseases and conditions, the reasons for these disparities are still largely unknown.