State Public Health Approaches to Addressing Arthritis, Submitted by the Oregon Public Health Division - PROJECT ABSTRACT FOR CDC-RFA-DP-23-0001, COMPONENT B State Public Health Approaches to Addressing Arthritis, Submitted by Oregon Public Health Division, Health Promotion and Chronic Disease Prevention Section Approximately 26% of Oregon adults (871,800 people) have been diagnosed with arthritis, a leading cause of disability in Oregon. In 2021, hospitalizations due to arthritis were estimated to cost $82 million. Forty-two percent of working-age adults with arthritis reported their symptoms interfere with the type or amount of work they do. Arthritis is also associated with Oregon’s leading causes of death, including cardiovascular disease, stroke, and diabetes. Thirty-eight percent of those who are 55 to 64 years of age and 50% of those 65 years and older have been diagnosed with arthritis. About 29% of Oregonians (1.4 million) are Medicaid beneficiaries who suffer higher rates of arthritis (29%, age-adjusted) compared to non-Medicaid beneficiaries (21%, age-adjusted). Those in rural and frontier areas also have higher rates of arthritis (34%) compared to those in urban areas (27%). Physical activity (PA) is strongly recommended to help manage chronic disease and can decrease pain and improve function by about 40% for adults with arthritis. There are specific self-management programs listed by the Osteoarthritis Action Alliance as Arthritis Appropriate Evidence Based Implementations (AAEBIs), which are programs proven to help those suffering from arthritis; five of these AAEBIs are covered by Medicaid in Oregon. However, 26% of Oregonians with arthritis still report no PA outside of work, compared to 20% of all Oregon adults. Furthermore, less than 19% of Oregonians with arthritis report having ever taken a class to help manage symptoms. The Health Promotion and Chronic Disease Prevention (HPCDP) section of the Oregon Health Authority’s Public Health Division is applying for Component B of the CDC’s grant CDC-RFA-DP-23-0001. The purpose of our proposal is to support statewide dissemination of AAEBIs and e-referral and payment pathways to increase health care provider PA counseling, referrals, and enrollment into AAEBIs. A driving force of this work is to reduce health disparities and physical inactivity among adults. Through this grant work, AAEBIs and PA assessment and counseling will be available and accessible to more people with arthritis including those who are disproportionately affected by arthritis, such as those from high burden and underserved populations and communities. This work builds off of HPCDP’s current efforts to implement state-based approaches to improve arthritis management and quality of life for adults with arthritis with funding from CDC’s “State Public Health Approaches to Addressing Arthritis” (DP18-1803).
