TUESDAY, March 15 (HealthDay News) -- In the United States, significant national progress has been made toward achieving the Healthy People 2010 (HP2010) target for weight counseling in adults with doctor-diagnosed arthritis, according to a study published in the March/April issue of the Annals of Family Medicine.
Barbara T. Do, M.S.P.H., from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, and colleagues monitored the progress in achieving the three arthritis management HP2010 objectives of self-management, education, and clinician counseling for weight loss and physical activity in adults with doctor-diagnosed arthritis. The proportion of individuals counseled for all three objectives, for each objective, and by selected characteristics was estimated at both the national and state level in the United States.
The investigators found that, nationally, there was a significant increase in the proportion of overweight and obese adults with arthritis who received clinician counseling for weight loss, from 35 percent in 2002 to 41.3 percent in 2006 (the 2010 target was 46 percent). However, the proportion of adults ever taking a self-management education class or counseled to engage in physical activity remained constant at approximately 11 and 52 percent, respectively. The 2010 targets were 13 and 67 percent, respectively. The results at state level varied.
"The progress observed for weight counseling of obese adults with doctor-diagnosed arthritis is encouraging, although the overall proportion currently being reached remains far below the ideal. Lack of progress for physical activity counseling and arthritis education is discouraging," the authors write.
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