20 Percent Of Americans Claim Disability
Posted on: Friday, 1 May 2009, 07:15 CDT
According to a statement released on Thursday from U.S. health officials, some 20 percent of Americans claim to have a disability of some sort. Moreover, that number is expected to rise significantly in the coming years as the baby boomer generation continues to age, bringing a long-expected shift in the country’s demographics.
Statistics for the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say the number of disabled Americans rose by 3.4 million to 48 million between the years 1999 and 2006 – a total increase of 7.7 percent.
“The number of adults reporting a disability likely will increase, along with the need for appropriate medical and public health services, as more persons enter the highest risk age group,” wrote Dr. Chad Helmick of the CDC in a weekly report on death and disease.
Dr. Helmick added that the expected increase in health problems must be countered with effective intervention programs for detecting and preventing disabilities before they become chronic.
Affecting some 8.6 million people nationwide, arthritis is currently the No.1 cause of disability in America. An additional 7.6 million Americans reportedly suffer from back or spine complications while another 3 million say they have some form of heart disease.
The incidence of disability among women was slightly higher than among men across all age groups.
The CDC also reported that the rate of disability doubles between successive age groups, with roughly 11 percent of people between the ages of 18 and 44 claiming to have disability, 23.9 percent for ages 45-64, and 51.8 for people 65 and older.
President and CEO of the Arthritis Foundation, Dr. John H. Klippel said in a statement that 46 million Americans – some 15 percent of the total population – suffer from some form of arthritis. According to him, this number is expected to grow dramatically in the coming years.
“With the aging of baby boomers, the prevalence of arthritis is expected to rise by 40 percent – that is up to 67 million people – by the year 2030,” he explained.
“These findings suggest a critical need to expand the reach of effective strategies aimed at disability prevention and management,” he added.
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Source: redOrbit Staff & Wire Reports
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