Chronic Disease

Data sourcing

For chronic diseases like COPD and diabetes, our tracker sources data primarily from America’s Health Rankings (AHR) and County Health Rankings (CHR), both of which primarily rely on the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) , complemented by CDC WONDER and the U.S. Census data.

A note about the CDC's Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) survey. It's important to note that because BRFSS is survey-based, it sometimes lacks sufficient data for smaller or marginalized racial and ethnic groups, making some estimates less statistically robust. America's Health Rankings provides its BRFSS analysis at the national and state levels only. Where we show county-level data for these topics, it comes from County Health Rankings, which publishes its own county estimates derived from BRFSS. Because the two analyses are produced differently, county figures are not directly comparable to the state and national figures shown alongside them. Most of these measures describe adults only. For the population comparison bar charts and relative inequity calculations, we therefore compare each group's share of cases to its share of the adult (18+) population rather than its share of the total population.

AHR provides data for several chronic disease topics via their GraphQL API. Asthma, cardiovascular diseases, chronic kidney disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and diabetes are provided as percentages.

Formula: 5% rate = 5 out of 100 = 5,000 per 100,000 people

• Asthma cases (Ages 18+): race/ethnicity: Available; age: Available; sex: Available
• Cases of cardiovascular diseases (Ages 18+): race/ethnicity: Available; age: Available; sex: Available
• Cases of chronic kidney disease (Ages 18+): race/ethnicity: Available; age: Available; sex: Available
• COPD (Ages 18+): race/ethnicity: Available; age: Available; sex: Available
• Diabetes (Ages 18+): race/ethnicity: Available; age: Available; sex: Available

Asthma cases

Measurement definition: Adults who reported being told by a health professional that they currently have asthma.

Clinical importance: Asthma is a chronic condition that affects the airways. It can cause wheezing, coughing, shortness of breath, and chest tightness. Asthma disproportionately affects women, multiracial, Indigenous, and Black adults, individuals with lower household incomes, those residing in non-metropolitan areas, and individuals with a disability experiencing difficulty with self-care. Studying asthma in regard to health equity can help us to understand why these disparities exist and how to improve the health of people with asthma.

Source: AHR

Cases of cardiovascular diseases

Measurement definition: Adults who reported being told by a health professional that they had angina or coronary heart disease; a heart attack or myocardial infarction; or a stroke.

Clinical importance: Cardiovascular diseases are a leading cause of death in the United States. Cardiovascular diseases exhibit higher prevalence among men, older adults aged 65 and above, American Indian/Alaska Native individuals, those with lower education levels and household incomes, residents of non-metropolitan areas, individuals with disabilities experiencing difficulty with self-care, and veterans. Studying cardiovascular diseases can help us understand why these disparities exist and how to address them.

Source: AHR

Cases of chronic kidney disease

Measurement definition: Adults who reported being told by a health professional that they have kidney disease not including kidney stones, bladder infection or incontinence.

Clinical importance: Chronic kidney disease is a serious condition that can lead to kidney failure. Chronic kidney disease exhibits a higher prevalence among women, adults aged 65 and older, American Indian/Alaska Native and Black individuals, those with lower educational attainment and household income, residents of non-metropolitan areas, individuals with disabilities experiencing difficulty with self-care, and veterans. Studying chronic kidney disease can help us understand why these disparities exist and how to address them.

Source: AHR

COPD

Measurement definition: Adults who reported being told by a health professional that they have chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, emphysema or chronic bronchitis.

Clinical importance: COPD is a lung disease that makes it difficult to breathe. Populations with a higher prevalence of COPD include women, adults aged 65 and older, American Indian/Alaska Native and multiracial individuals, those with lower educational attainment and household income, residents of non-metropolitan areas, individuals with disabilities experiencing difficulty with self-care, and veterans. Studying COPD can help us understand why these disparities exist and how to address them.

Source: AHR

Diabetes

Measurement definition: Adults who reported being told by a health professional that they have diabetes (excluding prediabetes and gestational diabetes).

Clinical importance: Diabetes is a chronic condition that affects the way the body uses sugar. It is more common in people of color and people with low incomes. Studying diabetes can help us understand why these disparities exist and how to address them.