Major Chronic Disease for Senior Citizens,
Osteoarthritis, Under Attack by New Initiative
CDC, Arthritis Foundation, Ad Council launch Moving
is the Best Medicine
Feb. 4, 2010 A major new initiative has been
launched to, hopefully, dramatically reduce the impact of osteoarthritis
on Americans senior citizens in particular. The chance of developing
this chronic joint ailment increases with age and by age 65, half the
senior population has x-ray evidence of osteoarthritis.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
(CDC) and the Arthritis Foundation today announced the program, which is
being supported by a national public awareness campaign by the Ad
Council. The communication effort responds to recommendations outlined
in the action plan,
A National Public Health Agenda for Osteoarthritis.
Already the nation's most common cause of
disability, the impact of the various types of arthritis is slated to
increase in the decades to come. One in five adults in the United States
(46 million people) has arthritis and an estimated 67 million people
will be affected by 2030.
Osteoarthritis, the most common form of arthritis,
is a serious and painful joint disease that currently affects nearly 27
million people in the United States and costs an estimated $5,700
annually per person living with the disease.
With the combination of inactivity, obesity, injury
and the aging of Americans, the rising prevalence of osteoarthritis is
expected to escalate the severe health and economic effects of this
disease.
"Now is the time that we as a nation must invest
our resources in the prevention of osteoarthritis," said John H. Klippel,
MD, president and CEO of the Arthritis Foundation.
"This National Public Health Agenda with the CDC
and the new public awareness campaign with the Ad Council will dispel
the myth that osteoarthritis is an inevitable part of aging and will
call on the nation and individuals to take proven steps to prevent and
decrease the pain and disability of arthritis."
A National Public Health Agenda for
Osteoarthritis
A National Public Health Agenda for Osteoarthritis is the first
comprehensive national action plan that calls on health care providers,
insurers, policymakers, public health agencies and the public to
collectively take the steps necessary to reduce the burden of
osteoarthritis.
The blueprint includes four intervention strategies
including:
● Self-management Education
● Physical Activity
● Injury Prevention
● Weight Management.
The Agenda is the result of an 18-month effort by
the CDC and the Arthritis Foundation that included the development of
two working groups, one focusing on research interventions and the other
on policy/communications efforts, and a major summit that brought
together more than 75 stakeholders to determine the best strategies for
reducing the impact of osteoarthritis.
"This important report will help the public health
community speak with a unified voice and focus our collective efforts on
actions that we know will make a difference in the lives of people
suffering from osteoarthritis," said Dr. Ursula Bauer, director of CDC's
National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion.
A
National Public Health Agenda for Osteoarthritis
Ten
Recommendations
1.
Self
management education should be expanded as a
community-based intervention for people with symptomatic OA.
2.
Low impact, moderate intensity aerobic physical activity and muscle
strengthening exercise should be promoted widely as a public health
intervention for adults with OA of the hip and/or knee.
3.
Existing policies and interventions that have been shown to reduce
OA-related joint injuries should be promoted, implemented and enforced.
4.
Weight management should be promoted for the prevention and
treatment of OA, and national nutrition and dietary guidelines for the
general population should be followed by adults with OA so they select a
quality diet while staying within their calorie requirements.
5. A
national policy platform for OA should be established to improve the
nations health through evidence-based clinical and community prevention
and disease control activities, including core public health
infrastructure improvement activities.
6.
Systems to deliver evidence-based interventions should be expanded.
7.
Quality of and equal access to evidence-based interventions for OA
should be assured.
8.
Workplace environments should be improved by adopting policies and
interventions that prevent onset and progression of OA.
9. A
well designed communication strategy should be initiated and
sustained to enhance understanding and change attitudes and behavior
among consumers, healthcare providers, policy makers, employers and the
business community, and community organizations.
10.
Research and evaluation should be pursued to enhance surveillance,
better understand risk factors, refine recommended intervention
strategies, evaluate workplace interventions, and examine emerging
evidence on additional promising interventions.
Fight Arthritis Pain Campaign
One recommended strategy and the first step is the
launch of a national awareness campaign. The new multimedia public
service advertising campaign launched today by the Arthritis Foundation,
the Ad Council and the American College of Rheumatology aims to empower
people with (or at risk for) osteoarthritis to take simple steps to
reduce pain, increase their mobility and help prevent disability caused
by osteoarthritis.
Created pro bono by the ad agency Y&R in New York,
the Fight Arthritis Pain campaign demonstrates that "moving is the best
medicine" and features messages about the important role that physical
activity and weight reduction play in preventing and managing the pain
associated with osteoarthritis.
The campaign includes television, radio, print,
outdoor and Web ads that will run in donated advertising time and space
and will direct Americans to visit a new website,
http://www.fightarthritispain.org/.
The site features a risk assessment tool for
osteoarthritis, movement tracker, live news feed, community forums and
blogs, program and event locator, as well as campaign materials. A
social media program will further engage Americans online and direct
them to visit the website to access resources.
"Physical activity for those living with
osteoarthritis can be daunting because of the pain and discomfort they
live with every day," said Peggy Conlon, president and CEO of The
Advertising Council.
"Through this wonderful campaign with the Arthritis
Foundation, those with or at risk for osteoarthritis will be empowered
to increase their movement and ultimately reduce the pain and disability
associated with the disease."
Numerous stakeholder groups across the country will
be working with the Arthritis Foundation and its chapters to implement
the goals outlined in this groundbreaking, multi-year effort.
For more information on fighting osteoarthritis,
including a tool for assessing risk of osteoarthritis and simple steps
you can take to reduce pain, increase mobility and slow progression of
the disease, visit:
http://www.fightarthritispain.org/.
The Arthritis Foundation claims to be the leading
health organization addressing the needs of some 46 million Americans
living with arthritis, the nation's most common cause of disability.
Founded in 1948, with headquarters in Atlanta, the Arthritis Foundation
has multiple service points located throughout the country and offers
programs designed to decrease the pain and disability associated with
arthritis.
The Arthritis Foundation is the largest private,
not-for-profit contributor to arthritis research in the world, funding
more than $415 million in research grants since 1948.
The foundation helps individuals take control of
their arthritis by providing public health education; pursuing public
policy and legislation; and conducting evidence-based programs to
improve the quality of life for those living with arthritis. Information
is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week at 1-800-283-7800 or
www.arthritis.org.
The
Ad Council is a private, non-profit organization that marshals
talent from the advertising and communications industries, the
facilities of the media, and the resources of the business and
non-profit communities to produce, distribute and promote public service
campaigns on behalf of non-profit organizations and government agencies.
The Ad Council addresses issue areas such as improving the quality of
life for children, preventive health, education, community well-being,
environmental preservation and strengthening families.
Feb. 4, 2010 A major new initiative has been
launched to, hopefully, dramatically reduce the impact of osteoarthritis
on Americans senior citizens in particular. The chance of developing
this chronic joint ailment increases with age and by age 65, half the
senior population has x-ray evidence of osteoarthritis.