Each year May is recognized as National Arthritis Awareness Month. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) state, “Arthritis is one of the most widespread health conditions in the United States. It affects about one in four adults overall…[which is] over 54 million men and women.” (1)
Although as with most survey information there is usually a lack of information related to American Indian and Alaska Natives (AI/AN). However, a study from 2007 of 8,305 AI/AN Elders found “the prevalence of arthritis in people age 55 years and over to be 43.5%, which is slightly higher than the 40% prevalence in the general US population in this age group.” Furthermore, it was found that the prevalence of self-reported arthritis in AI/ANs also increased with age; and arthritis was “associated with age, lack of employment, chronic medical conditions, and poorer self-reported overall health”. (2) Clearly for our AI/AN Elders, arthritis is a significant health concern.
What You Can Do
The CDC states that walking can help arthritis, “No matter if you live in a rural area, suburb, or urban neighborhood, walking has been shown to improve arthritis pain, fatigue, function, and quality of life. There is no better time to begin a walking program or recommit yourself to a walking routine than during Arthritis Awareness Month.” (1) For more information on getting started the CDC recommends visiting the Arthritis Foundation’s Walk With Ease website https://www.arthritis.org/living-with-arthritis/tools-resources/walk-with-ease/
The Arthritis Foundation also provides some resources that might be useful to share during National Arthritis Awareness Month:
- Learn more about the different types of arthritis on the Arthritis Foundation website
- Check out the Arthritis Foundation’s resources to help you find ways to live better with arthritis
- Learn more about the tools and resources the Arthritis Foundation offers to help you manage your disease (3)
Sources
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2017, May 26). Arthritis Awareness Month. Retrieved May 18, 2018, from https://www.cdc.gov/features/arthritisawareness/index.html
- Ferucci, E. D., Schumacher, M. C., Lanier, A. P., Murtaugh, M. A., Edwards, S., Helzer, L. J., . . . Slattery, M. L. (2008). Arthritis prevalence and associations in American Indian and Alaska native people. Arthritis & Rheumatism, 59(8), 1128-1136. doi:10.1002/art.23914
- Arthritis Foundation. (2015, May 07). May Is National Arthritis Awareness Month – News. Retrieved May 18, 2018, from http://blog.arthritis.org/news/arthritis-awareness-month/
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