In 2012, half of all adults in the US had one or more chronic health conditions; at least 25% had two or more chronic health conditions. Seven of the top ten causes of death in 2010 were chronic diseases; two of the seven chronic diseases, heart disease and cancer, account almost for over 50% of all deaths. Chronic disease is one of the most costly contributors in healthcare expenditures; once diagnosed many patients must be followed for a lifetime. In lower-income countries chronic disease is now the biggest contributor to mortality. Socioeconomic inequalities are a major driver of the chronic disease epidemic. Chronic disease in the US, such as cancer, heart disease, renal end stage disease and diabetes are tracked in national datasets but are not linked. Chronic diseases share many risk factors, major risk factors, e.g. tobacco, diet, alcohol, and physical inactivity are already known, their interactions with comorbidities are important and clinical practice indicates that the chronic disease epidemic may be addressed more effectively using a holistic approach. However, this approach has not yet been implemented in disease surveillance activities as data collection is still disease specific. Data collection is still one disease at a time, without connecting our disease surveillance efforts to get better, more complete and encompassing data. Health inequities result in lower quality of healthcare, worse healthcare outcomes for minority racial/ ethnic populations and people with low socioeconomic status, increased direct and indirect healthcare costs, and decreased productivity.
Objective
Utilize existing data sets and data sources to address health equity and improve the management of chronic disease