Multimorbidity and its correlates in middle-aged and older adults in a city of North India.

Abstract

Multimorbidity (MM), defined as the presence of two or more chronic health conditions in an individual, can be more burdensome than single chronic disease. To estimate the prevalence of MM and determine its drivers among middle-aged and older adults in a city of North India. A community-based, cross-sectional study was conducted in semiurban and rural areas of Aligarh in Uttar Pradesh, India, among 420 adults aged ≥45 years using simple random sampling. Sociodemographic, dietary, anthropometry, clinical information, and diagnosed diseases were collected. Descriptive statistics, Chi-square test, and logistic regression analysis were done using IBM SPSS V.20.0. We found the prevalence of MM was 40.2% (<i>P</i> = 0.40, 95% CI: 35.5%-45.1%), females > males (42.1% vs 37.5%). The odds of MM was almost 5 times higher in adults aged >75 years compared to 45-55 years old (AOR: 4.73; 95% CI: 1.40-16.05) and 2 times higher in urban areas (AOR: 2.10; 95% CI: 1.25-3.51). Physically inactive adults [AOR: 4.75 (95% CI: 2.19-10.28)], those who ever consumed tobacco or alcohol (AOR: 3.20; 95% CI: 1.85-5.54), those with lack of dietary diversity (AOR: 1.94; 95% CI: 1.04-3.63), and those morbidly obese (AOR: 10.17; 95% CI: 2.55-40.59) were at risk. With four out of ten adults having MM, its burden is high, especially in semiurban areas. Targeted interventions to reduce physical inactivity, obesity, and tobacco consumption and to increase dietary diversity are recommended.