At A Glance
In 2016, the New York State Arthritis Program (NYS AP) worked with other chronic disease programs to identify barriers to delivering evidence-based interventions, or lifestyle management programs, that can improve quality of life for adults with arthritis. Participants from 25 organizations came up with recommendations and ranked them by importance and feasibility. The most popular recommendation was program marketing materials, which NYS AP created. These materials, published in September 2018, were accessed 500 times in the first six months.
Public Health Challenge
In New York, nearly 40% of adults have at least one chronic disease. Arthritis is most common, affecting 24% of New York adults. In addition, 54.5% of adults with two or more chronic diseases have arthritis. People with multiple chronic conditions are more likely to report poor health and activity limitations. Evidence-based programs—like self-management education program, the Chronic Disease Self-Management Program (CDSMP), and physical activity programs like EnhanceFitness —can improve health and quality of life for people with arthritis or other chronic conditions. However, participation in these programs is often limited, which may be because few people are aware of their availability and health benefits.
Approach
To support organizations in their delivery of programs addressing many chronic diseases, including arthritis, and to strengthen chronic disease prevention and management, the NYS AP brought partners together to discuss barriers to delivery and identify how the New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH) could help. In total, 32 staff from 25 organizations participated. Participants made 53 recommendations, which they sorted, voted on, and ranked by importance and feasibility. They identified the need for publicly available, standardized marketing materials available in both English and Spanish that could be used to promote a variety of chronic disease prevent and management programs.