Chronic Conditions Among Adults Aged 18─34 Years — United States, 2019
Weekly / July 29, 2022 / 71(30);964–970
Kathleen B. Watson,
What is already known about this topic?
Chronic conditions are common, costly, and major causes of death and disability. Addressing conditions in young adulthood can help slow disease progression and improve well-being across the life span; however, recent estimates among young adults have not been reported.
What is added by this report?
In 2019, 53.8% of adults aged 18─34 years had at least one chronic condition, and 22.3% had more than one condition. Prevalence of any as well as specific chronic conditions varied by population subgroup.
What are the implications for public health practice?
Coordinated efforts might help improve the availability of evidence-based interventions, policies, and programs that are effective in preventing, treating, and managing chronic conditions in young adults.
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).