NHIS Arthritis Surveillance - Text Description

Arthritis Prevalence in Women and Men

Age group	Women	Men
18–24	2.9751	1.8388
25–34	6.7362	4.7585
35–44	15.0348	10.721
45–54	26.6342	21.4491
55–64	43.1365	30.7517
65–74	52.13	40.4893
75–84	58.1201	45.7775
85+	60.9193	47.2483

Data Source

1. Theis KA, Helmick CG, Hootman JM. Arthritis burden and impact are greater among U.S. women than men: intervention opportunities. J Women’s Health 2007;16(4):441–453.

2. Hootman J, Bolen J, Helmick C, Langmaid G. Prevalence of doctor-diagnosed arthritis and arthritis-attributable activity limitation—United States, 2003–2005. MMWR [View the errata for this article here and here.] 2006;55(40):1089–1092. html; pdf [512K]

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Projected Prevalence of Doctor-Diagnosed Arthritis, US Adults Aged 18+ Years, 2005–2030

 

Year	Estimated number of adults with doctor-diagnosed arthritis (in 1,000s)
	Men	Women	Total
2005	18,480	29,358	47,838
2010	20,178	31,701	51,879
2015	21,732	33,993	55,725
2020	23,164	36,244	59,409
2025	24,622	38,587	63,209
2030	26,053	40,915	66,969

Data Source: 2003–2005 National Health Interview Survey

1. Hootman JM, Helmick CG. Projections of U.S. prevalence of arthritis and associated activity limitations. Arthritis Rheum 2006;54(1):226–229.

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Percent of Adults with Activity and Arthritis Attributable Work Limitations in 2002

 

Limitation type	Percent of Adults with Doctor-Diagnosed Arthritis	Number of Adults with Doctor-Diagnosed Arthritis (in Millions)
Activity limitation	42%	21
Work limitation	31%	8

Data Source:  2002 National Health Interview Survey

1. Hootman J, Bolen J, Helmick C, Langmaid G. Prevalence of doctor-diagnosed arthritis and arthritis-attributable activity limitation—United States, 2003-2005. MMWR [View the errata for this article here and here.] 2006;55(40):1089–1092. html; pdf [512k]

2. Bolen J, Sniezek J, Theis K, Helmick CG, Hootman JM, Brady TJ et al. Racial/Ethnic differences in the prevalence and impact of doctor-diagnosed arthritis—United States, 2002. MMWR 2005;54(5):119–123. html; pdf [284K]

NOTE: Arthritis-Attributable Activity Limitation = responding “yes” to “Are you now limited in any way in any of your usual activities due to arthritis or joint symptoms”; Arthritis-Attributable Work Limitation = among working age population (18–64 years), responding “yes” to being limited in the type, amount, or whether they work due to arthritis.

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Number of Adults with Arthritis Reporting a Specific Functional Activity Limitation

 

Type of Functional Limitation	Number of Adults with Doctor-Diagnosed Arthritis (in Millions)
Stoop/bend	7.8
Stand	7.5
Walk	6
Push	5.2
Climb	4.8
Carry	3.6
Sit	2.8
Reach	2.4
Grasp	1.9

Data Source:  2002 National Health Interview Survey

1. Hootman JM, Jeffrey Sacks JJ, Helmick CG. Prevalence of arthritis-attributable activity limitations among adults with doctor-diagnosed arthritis, United States, 2002. Arthritis Rheum 2004;50(9, suppl):5641.

NOTE: Functional limitation defined as “very difficult” or “can not do” for the following activities:  stoop, bend or kneel; stand more than 2 hours; walk ¼ mile; push a heavy object; climb a flight of stairs; lift or carry 10 pounds; sit more than 2 hours; reach above head; grasp small objects.

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DBody Mass Index* Categories Among Adults With and Without Arthritis in 2002

 

Body Mass Index Category	Arthritis Status
	Doctor-Diagnosed Arthritis	No Arthritis
Underweight/Normal	31.2%	43.9%
Overweight	34.0%	35.1%
Obese	34.8%	21.0%

Data source: 2002 National Health Interview Survey

1. Felson DT, Zhang Y. An update on the epidemiology of knee and hip osteoarthritis with a view to prevention. Arthritis Rheum 1998;41(8):1343–1355.

*NOTE: Body Mass Index (BMI) calculated using the formula weight in kilograms/height in meters2. Underweight/normal=BMI < 25; Overweight = BMI 25-29.99; Obese = BMI ≥ 30.

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Proportion of Physically Inactive* Adults With and Without Arthritis in 2002

 

Arthritis Status	Percent of Inactive adults
Doctor-diagnosed arthritis	43.6%
No arthritis	36.4%

Data Source

1. Shih M, Hootman JM, Kruger J, Helmick CG. Physical activity in men and women with arthritis, National Health Interview Survey, 2002. Am J Prev Med 2006;30(5):385-93.

*NOTE: Inactive = no reported leisure-time physical activity.

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Causes of Disability Among US Adults

Cause of disability	Number (in millions) among 47.5 million U.S. adults reporting a disability
Arthritis or rheumatism	8.6
Back or spine problems	7.6
Heart trouble	3.0
Mental or emotional problem	2.2
Lung or respiratory problem	2.2
Diabetes	2.0
Deafness or hearing problem	1.9
Stiffness or deformity of limbs/extremities	1.6
Blindness or vision problems	1.5
Stroke	1.1

Data Source:  U.S. Census Bureau, 2004 Survey of Income and Program Participation, Wave 5, June-September 2005. as reported in: Hootman JM, Brault MW, Helmick CG, Theis KA, Armour BS. Prevalence and Most Common Causes of Disability Among Adults — United States, 2005. MMWR 2009;58(16):421-426. html; pdf [1.3Mb]

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