CDC and the Arthritis Foundation Launch the 1st National Agenda for Osteoarthritis to Help Millions
Osteoarthritis (OA), which affects mainly hands, knees and hips, is the most common form of arthritis, and is a serious and painful joint disease that places severe limits on daily activity and quality of life for more than 27 million Americans. OA often causes weakness and disability, interferes with work productivity, results in joint replacement, and generates inordinate socioeconomic costs. Public health data show that the prevalence, health impact, and economic consequences of OA are expected to increase dramatically during the next couple of decades. Approximately 1 in 2 people may develop symptomatic knee OA in their lifetime.
A National Public Health Agenda for Osteoarthritis
A National Public Health Agenda for Osteoarthritis was developed by more than 70 stakeholders following a call-to-action led by the Arthritis Foundation and CDC. A National Public Health Agenda for Osteoarthritis sets the stage for a collaborative and focused action to achieve three overall goals during the next three to five years:
- Ensure the availability of evidence-based intervention strategies; such as self management education, physical activity, injury prevention, and weight management and healthy nutrition to all Americans with OA.
- Establish supportive policies, communication initiatives and strategic alliances for OA prevention and management.
- Initiate needed research to better understand the burden of OA, its risk factors and effective strategies for intervention.
The Agenda for OA is geared to serve as a blue print for action and sets forth 10 strategy recommendations to reduce OA symptoms such as pain, disability, and loss of function.
CDC has identified several self-management and physical activity interventions, appropriate for people with varying levels of ability, that can effectively delay and even reverse limitations due to arthritis. These interventions, which are also beneficial for people with multiple chronic conditions (e.g., arthritis, diabetes, high blood pressure, or heart disease) are underused, reaching only about 1% of those who could benefit. See CDC's recommended interventions for people with arthritis. Physical activity has proven benefits for people with arthritis. Read more about physical activity guidelines.
A National Public Health Agenda for Osteoarthritis was developed to help close gaps in program availability, access and quality by guiding future research, policy, and public health programs, ultimately getting more people with OA to do things that can help them.
OA Agenda Resources
- Complete text version of A National Public Health Agenda for Osteoarthritis [PDF - 3.33MB]
- The 10 key public health recommendations [PDF - 72KB] identified in A National Public Health Agenda for Osteoarthritis.
- A letter [PDF - 193KB] from Dr. Wayne Giles, CDC, and Dr. Jack Klippel, Arthritis Foundation, about the burden of OA and the importance of the Agenda.
- Arthritis in the News [DOC - 36KB]
- OA Agenda — List of Participants [PDF - 60KB]
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OA Agenda Executive Summary was published—
Lubar D, White PH, Callahan LF, Chang RW, Helmick CG, Lappin DR, Melnick A, Moskowitz RW, Odom E, Sacks J, Toal SB, Waterman MB. A national public health agenda for osteoarthritis 2010. Semin Arthritis Rheum 2010;39(5):323–6. PDF [139 K] Copyright© 2010 Seminars in Arthritis and Rheumatism. All rights reserved.
Additional OA resources:
- OA facts and statistics
- New CDC OA research and publications (Lifetime Risk of knee OA, Knee replacement study, Johnston County studies, and publications)
- CDC State Arthritis Programs
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