The terms ”chronic illness”, “chronic disease”, “chronic conditions”, “long term conditions” and “long-term illness” are all used interchangeably worldwide (Chang & Johnson, 2013). Chronic conditions are long-lasting and very often life-long conditions (Gaugler, 2015), and despite being hard to define, chronic conditions can be classified as an illness that has led to the impairment or the deviation of normal function which is permanent, leaving a residual disability, which is caused by a non-pathologic condition requiring special training of the patient for rehabilitation and a long period of supervision, observation or care (Chang & Johnson, 2013). Types of long-term conditions (LTC’s) include diabetes, chronic pain, depression, chronic
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These are all said to be modifiable risk factors because they can all be prevented by either medical intervention and/or behavioural modifications (Chang & Johnson, 2013). A recent survey in New Zealand has concluded that the percentage of adults eating a sufficient amount of fruit and vegetables has dropped from 43% in 2006/07 to 40% in 2014/2015 and that women are more likely than men to eat enough servings of fruit and vegetables (MoH, 2015). Additionally, adult obesity rates have risen from 29% in 2011/12 to 31% in 2014/15 as well as morbid obesity rates having risen from 3.4% in 2006/07 to 5.3% in 2014/15 and that physical inactivity rates have also increased, meaning that 14% of adults in 2014/15 do less than thirty minutes of physical activity in a week as opposed to 10% in 2006/07 (MoH, 2015). In New Zealand, alcohol consumption also plays a big role in contributing to LTC’s for the reason that alcohol has a detrimental effect on health, both short-term and long-term (Chang & Johnson, 2013) as the prevalence of hazardous drinking has steadily risen in the past four years to 17.7%, at an estimation of 646,000 adults, with the majority being more than 30% between the
These are all said to be modifiable risk factors because they can all be prevented by either medical intervention and/or behavioural modifications (Chang & Johnson, 2013). A recent survey in New Zealand has concluded that the percentage of adults eating a sufficient amount of fruit and vegetables has dropped from 43% in 2006/07 to 40% in 2014/2015 and that women are more likely than men to eat enough servings of fruit and vegetables (MoH, 2015). Additionally, adult obesity rates have risen from 29% in 2011/12 to 31% in 2014/15 as well as morbid obesity rates having risen from 3.4% in 2006/07 to 5.3% in 2014/15 and that physical inactivity rates have also increased, meaning that 14% of adults in 2014/15 do less than thirty minutes of physical activity in a week as opposed to 10% in 2006/07 (MoH, 2015). In New Zealand, alcohol consumption also plays a big role in contributing to LTC’s for the reason that alcohol has a detrimental effect on health, both short-term and long-term (Chang & Johnson, 2013) as the prevalence of hazardous drinking has steadily risen in the past four years to 17.7%, at an estimation of 646,000 adults, with the majority being more than 30% between the