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National Arthritis Month --- May 2004
May is National Arthritis Month. This year's theme is "The 11-Step Challenge," and the Arthritis Foundation is urging persons to limit the impact of arthritis on their lives by following 11 steps, among them shedding excess weight, becoming active, and maintaining a healthy diet.
In 2001, an estimated 49 million U.S. adults had doctor-diagnosed arthritis, and an additional 21 million adults
had possible arthritis (1). Arthritis and other rheumatic conditions are the leading causes of disability in the United States (2). CDC, the Arthritis Foundation, and other
organizations continue to implement the National Arthritis Action Plan: A Public Health Strategy
(3) to promote progress toward reaching the arthritis-related
national health objectives for 2010 (objectives 2.1--2.8)
(4).
Additional information about arthritis, National Arthritis Month, the 11-Step Challenge, the National Arthritis
Action Plan, and local arthritis programs and services is available at
http://www.arthritis.org or by telephone, 800-283-7800.
Arthritis Foundation, Association of State and Territorial Health Officials, CDC. National Arthritis Action Plan: A Public Health Strategy. Atlanta, Georgia: Arthritis Foundation, 1999.
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Healthy People 2010, 2nd ed. With Understanding and Improving Health and Objectives
for Improving Health. 2 vols. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2000.
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Health and Human Services.References to non-CDC sites on the Internet are
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Department of Health and Human Services. CDC is not responsible for the content
of pages found at these sites. URL addresses listed in MMWR were current as of
the date of publication.
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