The National Institutes of Health (NIH) operates with a mission of preventing diseases and improving health throughout the United States. To this end, the organization provides the nation with information about the latest and most widespread community health issues.
Chronic disease is a major health issue throughout American communities. These diseases are not just common, claiming hundreds of thousands of lives each year, but they also negatively impact the national economy. More vexing is the fact that many deaths attributed to chronic diseases are preventable.
Per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), about 129 million Americans live with at least one major chronic disease, such as diabetes, obesity, or hypertension. In 2022, five of the 10 leading causes of death in the United States were or were strongly affiliated with chronic disease. The same year, NIH recorded 934,509 deaths as a result of cardiovascular disease (CVD), a category that includes heart disease and stroke, the first- and fifth-leading causes of death in America, respectively. Globally, CVD accounts for close to one-third of all deaths. Scientists and medical professionals are working on precision medications to better treat heart disease and stroke.
Cancer is another chronic disease causing community health problems throughout the country. There are almost 2 million new cancer diagnoses and over 609,000 cancer deaths each year, with lung and bronchial cancer causing more deaths than any other. Breast cancer ranks as one of the deadliest iterations of the disease, and the most prevalent, despite impacting women almost exclusively. Fortunately, research at NIH and other medical facilities has contributed to a decrease in cancer numbers over recent years.
Obesity is simultaneously one of the most widespread and one of the most controllable chronic diseases impacting American communities. While genetic variants play a role in a person’s body mass index and overall weight, the World Health Organization reports that obesity is also influenced by environments and behaviors, psycho-social factors, poor diet, lack of exercise, and other risk factors Americans can manage.
Diabetes is closely related to the nation’s obesity crisis. Close to 40 million Americans lived with diabetes in 2021, according to the CDC, to say nothing of Americans living with undiagnosed or pre-diabetes. The vast majority of Americans live with type 2 diabetes, which is typically caused by dietary choices and lack of exercise. Technological advances have improved diabetes treatments in recent years, though diabetes prevention education is equally important.
Chronic diseases are not the only community health issues impacting Americans. The Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response manages declarations for public health emergencies in America. Over the last five-plus years, only two emergencies have demanded national declarations: the COVID-19 epidemic and America’s opioid crisis. The opioid crisis showed some signs of abating in 2023, with overdose deaths falling from 84,181 to 81,083. However, while synthetic opioid deaths, including deaths attributed to fentanyl, decreased, there was a surge in overdoses caused by cocaine and psychostimulants like methamphetamine. Medical professionals and national leaders must continue to support a multi-pronged approach to opioid addiction research and prevention.
Finally, numerous community health issues are caused by infectious diseases. A few well-known infectious diseases include chickenpox, chlamydia, the coronavirus, and HIV/AIDS. Researchers must develop unique antibiotics and vaccines to combat new infectious diseases and continuously refine their strategies as infectious diseases develop resistance.
