Chronic Conditions Among Adults Aged 18─34 Years - United States, 2019

Abstract

Chronic conditions are common, costly, and major causes of death and disability.* Addressing chronic conditions and their determinants in young adulthood can help slow disease progression and improve well-being across the life course (1); however, recent prevalence estimates examining chronic conditions in young adults overall and by subgroup have not been reported. CDC analyzed data from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) to measure prevalence of 11 chronic conditions among adults aged 18-34 years overall and by selected characteristics, and to measure prevalence of health-related risk behaviors by chronic condition status. In 2019, more than one half (53.8%) of adults aged 18-34 years reported having at least one chronic condition, and nearly one quarter (22.3%) reported having more than one chronic condition. The most prevalent conditions were obesity (25.5%), depression (21.3%), and high blood pressure (10.7%). Differences in the prevalence of having a chronic condition were most noticeable between young adults with a disability (75.8%) and without a disability (48.3%) and those who were unemployed (62.3%) and students (45.8%). Adults aged 18-34 years with a chronic condition were more likely than those without one to report binge drinking, smoking, or physical inactivity. Coordinated efforts by public and private sectors might help raise awareness of chronic conditions among young adults and help improve the availability of evidence-based interventions, policies, and programs that are effective in preventing, treating, and managing chronic conditions among young adults (1).

FIGURE 1

Percentage of chronic conditions among adults aged 18–34 years — Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, United States, 2019 Abbreviation: COPD = chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. * 95% CIs indicated by error bars. ^† Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System respondents were classified as having a chronic condition if they had a body mass index >30.0 kg/m² or if they had ever been told by a doctor, nurse, or other health professional they had any of the following conditions: depression, arthritis, heart disease/stroke, COPD, cancer, kidney disease, diabetes, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, or currently have asthma. https://www.cdc.gov/brfss/annual_data/2019/pdf/codebook19_llcp-v2-508.HTML

FIGURE 2

Percentage of engaging in health-related risk behaviors, by adults aged 18–34 years with and without reported chronic conditions — Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, United States, 2019 * 95% CIs indicated by error bars; prevalence of physical inactivity is significantly different (p<0.05) between those with and without the following conditions: any condition, obesity, high blood pressure, and other; prevalence of binge drinking is significantly different (p<0.05) between those with and without the following conditions: any condition, obesity, high blood pressure, and depression; prevalence of current smoking is significantly different (p<0.05) between those with and without each condition. ^† Health-related risk behaviors were defined as follows: physical inactivity (other than regular job, not engaging in any physical activities or exercises such as running, calisthenics, golf, gardening, or walking for exercise during the past month); binge drinking (males having five or more drinks on one occasion, females having four or more drinks on one occasion); current smoking (smoking ≥100 cigarettes in one’s lifetime and still smoking on at least some days). ^§ Other includes the following conditions: chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, cancer, diabetes, heart disease/stroke, and kidney disease.