Defining and Measuring Chronic Conditions: Imperatives for Research, Policy, Program, and Practice
Open accessAbstract
Current trends in US population growth, age distribution, and disease dynamics foretell rises in the prevalence of chronic diseases and other chronic conditions. These trends include the rapidly growing population of older adults, the increasing life expectancy associated with advances in public health and clinical medicine, the persistently high prevalence of some risk factors, and the emerging high prevalence of multiple chronic conditions. Although preventing and mitigating the effect of chronic conditions requires sufficient measurement capacities, such measurement has been constrained by lack of consistency in definitions and diagnostic classification schemes and by heterogeneity in data systems and methods of data collection. We outline a conceptual model for improving understanding of and standardizing approaches to defining, identifying, and using information about chronic conditions in the United States. We illustrate this model's operation by applying a standard classification scheme for chronic conditions to 5 national-level data systems. Although the literature does not support a single uniform definition for chronic disease, recurrent themes include the non-self-limited nature, the association with persistent and recurring health problems, and a duration measured in months and years, not days and weeks--Thrall. So far, many different approaches have been used to measure the prevalence and consequences of chronic diseases and health conditions in children, resulting in a wide variability of prevalence estimates that cannot be readily compared--van der Lee et al.
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Contingency management can be used at different points of the treatment sequence, including initial engagement, attendance, and abstinence.
“It can be used at different points of the treatment se quence, including initial engagement 167 , attendance 237,239 , and ab stinence 237,239,240 .”
From Substance use disorders: a comprehensive update of classification, epidemiology, neurobiology, clinical aspects, treatment and prevention (2023) · cites this paper as [167]
The Introduction and Summary discuss defining and measuring chronic conditions, while the OASH-list section mentions substance abuse disorders only as conditions to classify. Our copy does not address contingency management or its use for initial engagement, attendance, or abstinence (searched those terms and treatment sequence). (LLM, conf=0.78)
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- Authors
- Goodman, R. A., Posner, S. F., Huang, E. S., Parekh, A. K., & Koh, H. K.
- Affiliations
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (US)
- University of Chicago (US)
- United States Department of Health and Human Services (US)
- Corresponding author
- Goodman, Richard A.
- Venue
- Preventing Chronic Disease
- Published
- 2013-04-25
- Volume
- 10
- Pages
- E66-E66
- ISSN
- 1545-1151 (ISSN-L)
- PMC
- PMC3652713
- OpenAlex
- W2112868039
- Cited by
- 807
- References
- 33
- Citations by year
- 2026: 42 · 2025: 85 · 2024: 72 · 2023: 52 · 2022: 72 · 2021: 75 · 2020: 64 · 2019: 60 · 2018: 68 · 2017: 76 · 2016: 72 · 2015: 33 · 2014: 22 · 2013: 12
- FWCI
- 33.74
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- diamond
- doi.org
- Licence
- public-domain
- Locations
- Preventing Chronic Disease (publishedVersion, public-domain)
- Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (P30DK092949)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Epidemiology › Chronic Disease Management Strategies
- Health Sciences › Health Professions › Health Information Management › Medical Coding and Health Information
- Health Sciences › Health Professions › General Health Professions › Health and Medical Studies
- Keywords
- chronic disease, chronic disease classification, prevalence estimation, data standardization, national health data system, multimorbidity, older adults, disease duration, health policy
- MeSH terms
- Adult, Female, Humans, Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice, Social Support, Colorectal Neoplasms, Intention
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