Urban Design 4 Health
National Public Health Assessment Model (NPHAM) for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (see: scenario-planning tools) that enables communities to predict chronic health outcomes and to monetize the health impact of transportation and land-use scenarios.
National Public Health Assessment Model (NPHAM) for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (see: scenario-planning tools) that enables communities to predict chronic health outcomes and to monetize the health impact of transportation and land-use scenarios.

Role of Inactivity in Chronic Diseases:
Evolutionary Insight and Pathophysiological Mechanisms
Booth FW1, Roberts CK1, Thyfault JP1, Ruegsegger GN1, Toedebusch RG1.
This review proposes that physical inactivity could be considered a behavior selected by evolution for resting, and also selected to be reinforcing in life-threatening situations in which exercise would be dangerous. Underlying the notion are human twin studies and animal selective breeding studies, both of which provide indirect evidence for the existence of genes for physical inactivity. Approximately 86% of the 325 million in the United States (U.S.) population achieve less than the U.S. Government and World Health Organization guidelines for daily physical activity for health. Although under-appreciated, physical inactivity is an actual contributing cause to at least 35 unhealthy conditions, including the majority of the 10 leading causes of death in the U.S. First, we introduce nine physical inactivity-related themes. Next, characteristics and models of physical inactivity are presented. Following next are individual examples of phenotypes, organ systems, and diseases that are impacted by physical inactivity, including behavior, central nervous system, cardiorespiratory fitness, metabolism, adipose tissue, skeletal muscle, bone, immunity, digestion, and cancer. Importantly, physical inactivity, itself, often plays an independent role as a direct cause of speeding the losses of cardiovascular and strength fitness, shortening of health-span, and lowering of the age for the onset of the first chronic disease, which in turn decreases quality of life, increases health care costs, and accelerates mortality risk.
Physiol Rev. 2017 Oct 1;97(4):1351-1402. doi: 10.1152/physrev.00019.2016 Copyright © 2017 the American Physiological Society. Visit www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28814614 to access the full manuscript and other related references.
Evolutionary Insight and Pathophysiological Mechanisms
Booth FW1, Roberts CK1, Thyfault JP1, Ruegsegger GN1, Toedebusch RG1.
This review proposes that physical inactivity could be considered a behavior selected by evolution for resting, and also selected to be reinforcing in life-threatening situations in which exercise would be dangerous. Underlying the notion are human twin studies and animal selective breeding studies, both of which provide indirect evidence for the existence of genes for physical inactivity. Approximately 86% of the 325 million in the United States (U.S.) population achieve less than the U.S. Government and World Health Organization guidelines for daily physical activity for health. Although under-appreciated, physical inactivity is an actual contributing cause to at least 35 unhealthy conditions, including the majority of the 10 leading causes of death in the U.S. First, we introduce nine physical inactivity-related themes. Next, characteristics and models of physical inactivity are presented. Following next are individual examples of phenotypes, organ systems, and diseases that are impacted by physical inactivity, including behavior, central nervous system, cardiorespiratory fitness, metabolism, adipose tissue, skeletal muscle, bone, immunity, digestion, and cancer. Importantly, physical inactivity, itself, often plays an independent role as a direct cause of speeding the losses of cardiovascular and strength fitness, shortening of health-span, and lowering of the age for the onset of the first chronic disease, which in turn decreases quality of life, increases health care costs, and accelerates mortality risk.
Physiol Rev. 2017 Oct 1;97(4):1351-1402. doi: 10.1152/physrev.00019.2016 Copyright © 2017 the American Physiological Society. Visit www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28814614 to access the full manuscript and other related references.

Improving Access to Chronic Disease Data
Interested in chronic disease data, risk factors, health indicators, and policy measures? CDC is making all these data and indicators much easier to access and use. Use the data to describe the burden of chronic disease as well as common risk factors, identify research gaps, monitor population trends, and evaluate programs. Visit http://www.cdc.gov/features/chronicdata/
Chronic Disease Calculator - Version 2
"Chronic diseases are among the most prevalent, costly, and preventable of all health problems. Medical spending has grown rapidly in recent years and is placing a significant burden on state budgets. To help states estimate the economic burden of chronic diseases, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and RTI International developed the Chronic Disease Cost Calculator version 2. Visit http://www.cdc.gov/chronicdisease/calculator/
The Chronic Disease Cost Calculator version 2 is a downloadable tool that provides state-level estimates of medical expenditures and absenteeism costs for:
Specifically, the Cost Calculator provides the following estimates for each chronic condition:
Interested in chronic disease data, risk factors, health indicators, and policy measures? CDC is making all these data and indicators much easier to access and use. Use the data to describe the burden of chronic disease as well as common risk factors, identify research gaps, monitor population trends, and evaluate programs. Visit http://www.cdc.gov/features/chronicdata/
Chronic Disease Calculator - Version 2
"Chronic diseases are among the most prevalent, costly, and preventable of all health problems. Medical spending has grown rapidly in recent years and is placing a significant burden on state budgets. To help states estimate the economic burden of chronic diseases, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and RTI International developed the Chronic Disease Cost Calculator version 2. Visit http://www.cdc.gov/chronicdisease/calculator/
The Chronic Disease Cost Calculator version 2 is a downloadable tool that provides state-level estimates of medical expenditures and absenteeism costs for:
- Arthritis
- Asthma
- Cancer
- Cardiovascular diseases (congestive heart failure, coronary heart disease, hypertension, stroke, and other cerebrovascular disease)
- Depression
- Diabetes
Specifically, the Cost Calculator provides the following estimates for each chronic condition:
- Medical expenditures are for the entire state population (all payers and the uninsured) and separately for Medicaid, Medicare, and privately insured.
- Absenteeism costs and estimates of missing work days
- Projections of medical costs until 2020."
The Economic Burden of Chronic Disease: Preventing the Preventable
Obesity as a Disease: A Help or a Hindrance?

is_obesity_a_disease.pdf |
Chronic Disease Data Tool

Threshold county map of diabetes prevalence among Medicare population exceeding 30%.
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (http://www.cms.gov/Research-Statistics-Data-and-Systems/Statistics-Trends-and-Reports/BSAPUFS/Chronic_Conditions_PUF.html) has released data on Medicare fee-for-service beneficiaries who have been diagnosed with a chronic condition. The data set is available in HealthLandscape's Community HealthView data library.
What is HealthLandscape? "HealthLandscape is an interactive web atlas that allows health professionals, policy makers, academic researchers and planners to combine, analyze and display information in ways that promote better understanding of health and the forces that affect it. The tool, brings together various sources of health, socio-economic and environmental information in a convenient, central location to help answer questions about and improve health and healthcare."
The Center for Medicare and Medicaid data-set tracks 15 chronic conditions and the prevalence (occurrence) of each condition at the county level. Chronic conditions in the data-set include:
The data-set also includes:
To access these data, log into www.HealthLandscape.org (registration is free), click "Community HealthView" on the Tools menu, and enter "chronic conditions" in the search field. You'll see the list of available data sets. For a more detailed overview of HealthLandscape and our Community HealthView data library, click here to sign up for an "Introduction to HealthLandscape" webinar.
www.HealthLandscape.org
3805 Edwards Road, Suite 500
Cincinnati, OH 45209
(513) 458-6674
What is HealthLandscape? "HealthLandscape is an interactive web atlas that allows health professionals, policy makers, academic researchers and planners to combine, analyze and display information in ways that promote better understanding of health and the forces that affect it. The tool, brings together various sources of health, socio-economic and environmental information in a convenient, central location to help answer questions about and improve health and healthcare."
The Center for Medicare and Medicaid data-set tracks 15 chronic conditions and the prevalence (occurrence) of each condition at the county level. Chronic conditions in the data-set include:
- Alzheimer's disease, related disorders, senile dementia
- Arthritis (including rheumatoid and osteoarthritis)
- Asthma
- Atrial fibrillation
- Cancer (breast, colorectal, lung, and prostate)
- Chronic kidney disease
- Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
- Depression
- Diabetes (excluding conditions related to pregnancy)
- Heart failure
- High cholesterol (hyperlipidemia)
- High blood pressure (hypertension)
- Ischemic heart disease
- Osteoporosis
- Stroke/transient ischemic attack
The data-set also includes:
- Spending per capita
- Emergency department visit rate
- Hospital readmission rate
To access these data, log into www.HealthLandscape.org (registration is free), click "Community HealthView" on the Tools menu, and enter "chronic conditions" in the search field. You'll see the list of available data sets. For a more detailed overview of HealthLandscape and our Community HealthView data library, click here to sign up for an "Introduction to HealthLandscape" webinar.
www.HealthLandscape.org
3805 Edwards Road, Suite 500
Cincinnati, OH 45209
(513) 458-6674
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Report: Chronic Condition Among Medicare Beneficiaries

2012chartbook.pdf |