Chronic Disease
Overview
Each of us has room to improve our health each day. By making healthy choices, you can reduce your likelihood of getting a chronic disease and improve your quality of life. Everyone can start somewhere today to be more healthy tomorrow. Take and share your healthy choices with you wherever you go.
We work closely with programs and partners in Personal and Family Health to promote health infants, children and adolescents, adults and older adults. Health across the lifespan is both important and possible.
- Quit Smoking
- Eat Healthy
- Be Active
- Limit Alcohol
- Get Screened
- Get Enough Sleep
- Record Family Health History
Stopping tobacco use (or never starting) lowers the risk of serious health problems, such as heart disease, cancer, type 2 diabetes, and lung disease, as well as premature death—even for longtime smokers.
Take the first step and call 1-800-QUIT-NOW for free support or visit one of these online resources.
Eating healthy helps prevent, delay, and manage heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and other chronic diseases. A balanced diet of fruits, veggies, whole grains, lean meats, and low-fat dairy products is important at any age.
Regular physical activity can help you prevent, delay, or manage chronic diseases. Aim for moderate physical activity (like brisk walking or gardening) for at least 22 minutes a day.
Over time, excessive drinking can lead to high blood pressure, various cancers, heart disease, stroke, and liver disease. By limiting alcohol, you can reduce these health risks.
- Kansas Substance Use Treatment Services
- For free, confidential, 24/7, 365-day-a-year treatment referral and information call 1-800-662-HELP (4357) or text your 5-digit zip code to 435748, message and data rates may apply.
- Preventing excessive alcohol consumption.
To prevent chronic diseases or detect them early, visit your doctor regularly for preventive services.
We can help with getting you screened for:
Adults should get at least 7 hours of sleep daily. Insufficient sleep has been linked to the development and poor management of diabetes, heart disease, obesity, and depression.
If you have a family history of a chronic disease, such as cancer, heart disease, or diabetes, you may be more likely to develop that disease yourself. Share your family health history with your doctor, who can help you take steps to prevent these conditions or detect them early.
Support for Your Chronic Condition
Self-management education workshops are interactive community-based programs that teach participants skills for managing chronic conditions and are proven to improve the quality of life of participants.
Watch Laura Hughes Zhaner, instructor and Doris Yonker, participant discuss the Chronic Disease Self-Management workshop.