Applying Epidemiology to Program Design for Chronic Disease

Applying Epidemiology to Program Design for Chronic Diseases Elie Kamara Walden University NURS 8310 Epidemiology and Population Health Dr Joy Keifer Identification of Osteoarthritis as a Chronic Health Issue In the United States, osteoarthritis is a common chronic health issue prevalent among adults aged 18 years and older. This disease has caused different social and economic issues, as the associated disability reduces people’s ability to be productive members of American society. Therefore, minimising the social and economic effects of this disease is necessary to reduce its effects on the social and healthcare fabric of American society, and the current discussion provides a detailed analysis of the problem and suggests an evidence-based approach for implementation. Characteristics of the Population Based on reliable statistics of this population, almost 21.3% of American adults have this chronic disease (Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 2025). The disease is more common in aging adult Americans, and it is one of the leading causes of visits to doctors. There are common geographical and socioeconomic variations in the occurrence of osteoarthritis as well as in terms of gender, as this chronic healthcare condition is more common among women (21.5%) than in men (16.1%) (Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 2025). Analysis of these characteristics of the target population shows their level of harm and highlights the importance of addressing this issue at the national level through a comprehensive plan. Pattern of Osteoarthritis Epidemiology of osteoarthritis indicates that in the United States, there has been a sharp rise in the annual visits to doctors by patients with osteoarthritis, and this trend highlights the pressure osteoarthritis holds on the American healthcare system. The disease’s occurrence increases with age, as the percentage of American adult patients of osteoarthritis with an age group of 18 to 34 is 3.6% while among patients with age group of 75 and above it is 53.9% (Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 2025). People with higher socioeconomic status suffer less from osteoarthritis than people with low income for instance, the percentage of osteoarthritis patients decreases as the family income increases from 24.7% to 16.6% in families that have income 100% less than the poverty level; likewise, this disease is more common among uneducated population. For example, in college graduates, the percentage of osteoarthritis is 15.3% while in its is 20% in high school graduates (Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, 2025). The occurrence of this condition also increases with a change in geographical region: it is more prevalent in rural settings than in urban areas. Health Outcome to Improve Reducing arthritis-associated activity limitation is a practical and achievable outcome that can improve the condition of patients. Evidence for Support The high percentage of affected individuals provides a reason for the improvement of this health outcome because when osteoarthritis patients face activity limitation, they become disabled, leading to economic and social burden at the individual and social levels. Without improving activity limitation, the spread of osteoarthritis will cause a significant burden to the U.S. healthcare system. The approximate number of osteoarthritis patients is 9.9 million, and the resulting high percentage of doctor visits will increase the financial loss and reduce the operational ability of the healthcare system (Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 2025). Proposed Program for Improving the Health Outcome MOVES (Managing Osteoarthritis through Vital Engagement and Support) is an effective program to improve the limitations on mobility in patients with osteoarthritis. It is based on the Chronic Care Model (CCM) (Curly, 2024). The selected target population for this program is American adults aged 40 plus age suffering from osteoarthritis (OA) or rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and facing mobility issues. This program best fits the needs of the target population as it will improve the limited mobility in the target population through increasing the duration of their physical activities, improving the self-care-based management of pain and fatigue, and minimising the number of disability days using a number of approaches (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2025). This plan aims to minimise activity limitation in osteoarthritis patients of the target population by 30 per cent. For this purpose, this plan allocates a time duration of 18 months. The proposed methodology or interventions to achieve this objective include group visits under the supervision of an APRN to help patients manage pain and medication and improve their mobility (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2018). It also involves the use of subsidised membership offers for exercises and training on using online apps for tracking mobility, duration, and frequency of pain (Community Tool Box, 2025). Moreover, this plan also aims to develop a working care coordination setup involving primary care, rehabilitation services, and rheumatology (Community Tool Box, 2025). These aspects of the plan make it the best option for American adults aged 18 and above, as it will cater to the diverse needs and problems of the target population in many ways. Empirical evidence also exists that supports the effectiveness of exercise-based programs to reduce the activity limitation of arthritis patients. In one study, researchers examined the effect of group exercise programs on the positive improvement in mobility of arthritis patients and pain management using a National Rating Scale (NRS) (do Carmo et al., 2017). The participants were divided into two groups: one group was given an individual exercise program, while the other was given a group exercise program. The findings showed that individuals who had group exercise programs experienced better improvement in arthritis-related pain and immobility than the other group (do Carmo et al., 2017). In summary, the proposed plan (MOVES) aims to transform the process of treating osteoarthritis from an episodic and medication-focused methodology to a comprehensive treatment framework based on the following features: a proactive and patient-centred approach, and integration of the community. This plan is in perfect alignment with AACN competencies; moreover, it uses accurate data for developing interventions and develops a sustainable and consistent framew...