Preventing Chronic Disease | Defining and Measuring Chronic Conditions: Imperatives for Research, Policy, Program, and Practice - CDC

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Preventing Chronic Disease | Defining and Measuring Chronic Conditions: Imperatives for Research, Policy, Program, and Practice - CDC

Multiple Chronic Conditions Collection

This week Preventing Chronic Disease (PCD) released 8 articles focusing on multiple chronic conditions. The articles within this collection address the current trends in population growth, age distribution, and disease dynamics that forecast rises in the prevalence of chronic diseases, other chronic conditions, and combinations of chronic conditions.

Defining and Measuring Chronic Conditions: Imperatives for Research, Policy, Program, and Practice

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• Abstract
• Introduction
• Variations in Defining and Classifying Chronic Conditions
• Conceptual Model for Standardizing the Analysis of Health Data Sets for Selected Chronic Conditions
• Development of the OASH List of Selected Chronic Conditions
• Selected HHS Health Data Systems for Studying Chronic Conditions
• Application of a Common Conceptual Model to HHS Health Data Systems
• Summary
• Acknowledgments
• Author Information
• References
• Tables
• Appendix

Richard A. Goodman, MD, MPH; Samuel F. Posner, PhD; Elbert S. Huang, MD, MPH; Anand K. Parekh, MD, MPH; Howard K. Koh, MD, MPH

Suggested citation for this article: Goodman RA, Posner SF, Huang ES, Parekh AK, Koh HK. Defining and Measuring Chronic Conditions: Imperatives for Research, Policy, Program, and Practice. Prev Chronic Dis 2013;10:120239. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5888/pcd10.120239.

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Abstract

Current trends in US population growth, age distribution, and disease dynamics foretell rises in the prevalence of chronic diseases and other chronic conditions. These trends include the rapidly growing population of older adults, the increasing life expectancy associated with advances in public health and clinical medicine, the persistently high prevalence of some risk factors, and the emerging high prevalence of multiple chronic conditions. Although preventing and mitigating the effect of chronic conditions requires sufficient measurement capacities, such measurement has been constrained by lack of consistency in definitions and diagnostic classification schemes and by heterogeneity in data systems and methods of data collection. We outline a conceptual model for improving understanding of and standardizing approaches to defining, identifying, and using information about chronic conditions in the United States. We illustrate this model’s operation by applying a standard classification scheme for chronic conditions to 5 national-level data systems.

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Although the literature does not support a single uniform definition for chronic disease, recurrent themes include the non–self-limited nature, the association with persistent and recurring health problems, and a duration measured in months and years, not days and weeks. Thrall (1)
So far, many different approaches have been used to measure the prevalence and consequences of chronic diseases and health conditions in children, resulting in a wide variability of prevalence estimates that cannot be readily compared. van der Lee et al (2)

Definición y medición de las afecciones crónicas: imprescindibles para las investigaciones, las políticas, los programas y las prácticas

Richard A. Goodman, MD, MPH; Samuel F. Posner, PhD; Elbert S. Huang, MD, MPH; Anand K. Parekh, MD, MPH; Howard K. Koh, MD, MPH

Citación sugerida para este artículo: Goodman RA, Posner SF, Huang ES, Parekh AK, Koh HK. Defining and Measuring Chronic Conditions: Imperatives for Research, Policy, Program, and Practice. Prev Chronic Dis 2013;10:120239. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5888/pcd10.120239.

REVISADO POR EXPERTOS

Resumen

Las tendencias actuales en el crecimiento, la distribución de edad y la dinámica de las enfermedades de la población de los Estados Unidos predicen aumentos en la prevalencia de enfermedades crónicas y otras afecciones crónicas. Estas tendencias incluyen el rápido crecimiento de la población de adultos de edad avanzada, el aumento de la expectativa de vida asociada a los avances en salud pública y medicina clínica, la alta prevalencia persistente de algunos factores de riesgo, y la alta prevalencia emergente de afecciones crónicas múltiples. Aunque prevenir y atenuar los efectos de las afecciones crónicas requiere capacidad de medición suficiente, tal medición ha sido restringida por la falta de consistencia en las definiciones y en los esquemas de clasificación diagnóstica, así como por la heterogeneidad en los sistemas de datos y en los métodos de recolección de datos. Definimos un modelo conceptual para mejorar la comprensión y estandarización de enfoques de definición, identificación y uso de la información sobre las afecciones crónicas en los Estados Unidos. Ilustramos la operación de este modelo mediante la aplicación de un esquema de clasificación estándar para las afecciones crónicas en 5 sistemas de datos a nivel nacional.

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