Arthritis — Big Burden for Baby Boomers
Individuals with Arthritis Urged to Increase Physical Activity to
Reduce Pain
January 31, 2008—Denver—A recent study by the
Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention reports that arthritis is hitting the nation’s
aging
population of baby boomers and is projected to increase by
40 percent in
the next two decades. According to the report, nearly one
in five U.S. adults, or 46 million
people, have arthritis and an estimated 67 million people
will be
affected by 2030. The study, published in the January
issue of Arthritis & Rheumatism,
found that osteoarthritis, the most common form of
arthritis, affects 27
million people, up from 1990 estimates of 21 million. The
study also
estimates that 294,000, or one in 250, U.S. children and
teenagers under
age 18 have been diagnosed with arthritis or another
rheumatologic
condition. In Colorado, nearly 800,000 adults, or one in
four, have
been diagnosed with arthritis. As the most common cause of
disability in the United States, arthritis
already limits activity for 19 million of the 46 million
U.S. adults
with the disease. It also exacts a hefty financial toll on
the country:
$128 billion annually including $3 billion in Colorado.
The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment’s
Arthritis
Program and the Arthritis Foundation Rocky Mountain Chapter,
urge the
public to participate in interventions and programs that
could reduce
the impact of arthritis.
Arthritis Program manager, Penny K. Studebaker, said,
“Individuals
must educate themselves about managing their arthritis.
There are many
self-help programs and resources available for people to
manage
arthritis and the pain and disability that come with the
disease.” Studebaker said, “The best way to reduce
arthritis pain is by
becoming more physically active, even moderately.
Individuals with
arthritis who participate in safe and effective forms of
exercise will
improve their quality of life by reducing their pain and
becoming more
flexible, active and energetic.” Studebaker said walking,
swimming and biking are particularly good
activities for people with arthritis, as is dancing,
gardening and
washing the car. For adults and children living with
arthritis, the following resources
for managing the disease are available from the Arthritis
Foundation
Rocky Mountain Chapter:
- Patient education materials including free brochures and
booklets
- Community-based health education and exercise programs,
including the Arthritis Foundation Aquatic Program and the
Arthritis
Foundation Exercise Program
- The national, bimonthly consumer magazine, Arthritis
Today
For information about local Arthritis Foundation programs
or for a
complimentary copy of the Arthritis Foundation’s “Arthritis
Answers” brochure, which includes information on preventing
and
controlling arthritis and tips on making daily activities
easier on
joints, call the Arthritis Foundation at
1-800-475-6447.
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