Chronic diseases are conditions that last 1 year or more and require ongoing medical attention or limit activities of daily living or both.¹ Examples include cancer, heart disease, diabetes, and lung diseases. 

• In Madison County, chronic disease is the leading cause of over half of premature death (under 75 years). 
• More than 40% of New York adults suffer from a chronic disease, and chronic diseases are responsible for 23% of all hospitalizations in New York State.
• About 42% of people in America have two or more chronic conditions.
• Costs have consumed more than 85% of total health care costs. Chronic disease can cause physical and emotional changes, limit day-to-day activities, and negatively impact quality of life.²

The good news is that some chronic diseases can be prevented if you take these steps: eat well, move more, and live smoke-free.

Tobacco is a highly addictive substance commonly found in cigarettes. Cigarette smoking harms nearly every organ of the body, causes many diseases, and reduces the health of smokers in general. It’s never too late to quit smoking. Quitting smoking now improves your health and reduces your risk of heart disease, cancer, lung disease, and other smoking-related illnesses.

Nicotine is another highly addictive substance that is found in e-cigarettes and vapes, which are also very harmful to the body.

How do I quit?

• Talk to your doctor about the various ways to quit to figure out the best way for you
• Set a Quit Day and stick to it
• There are many resources out there to help you:
  1. American Cancer Society: https://www.cancer.org/cancer/risk-prevention/tobacco/guide-quitting-smoking.html 
  2. American Heart Association: https://www.heart.org/en/healthy-living/healthy-lifestyle/quit-smoking-tobacco/5-steps-to-quit-smoking 
  3. American Lung Association: https://www.lung.org/quit-smoking/i-want-to-quit/how-to-quit-smoking 
  4. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: https://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/campaign/tips/quit-smoking/tips-for-quitting/index.html 
  5. Drop the Vape – Text-Based Quit Vaping Program for Youth and Young Adults: https://health.ny.gov/prevention/tobacco_control/campaign/quit_smoking/quit.htm 
  6. NYS Quitline – 1-866-NY-QUITS: https://www.nysmokefree.com/ 
     1. NEW Spanish-Language Text Program

Resources

• BRiDGES (website, Facebook)
  • Quit Smoking Services
• GO2 for Lung Cancer (website)
  • Lung Cancer Webinars

    • Who should consider getting screened

    • What actually happens during a screening

    • Why lung cancer screening matters

Want to see local data? 

Visit our Community Health Assessment.

Quick Links

• New York State Cancer Registry and Cancer Statistics
• New York State Community Health Indicator Reports Dashboard

References

1. About Chronic Diseases, US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
2. The Relation of the Chronic Disease Epidemic to the Health Care Crisis

Updated February 3, 2026