Multimorbidity and the inequalities of global ageing: a cross-sectional study of 28 countries using the World Health Surveys

Multimorbidity defined as the "the coexistence of two or more chronic diseases" in one individual, is increasing in prevalence globally. The aim of this study is to compare the prevalence of multimorbidity across low and middle-income countries (LMICs), and to investigate patterns by age a...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:BMC public health 2015-08, Vol.15 (1), p.776-776, Article 776
Main Authors: Afshar, Sara, Roderick, Paul J, Kowal, Paul, Dimitrov, Borislav D, Hill, Allan G
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adolescent
Adult
Age
Age Distribution
Aged
Aging
Angina pectoris
Chronic Disease - epidemiology
Chronic illnesses
Comorbidity
Cross-Sectional Studies
Developing Countries - statistics & numerical data
Education
Epidemiology
Female
Global Health
Health Status Disparities
Health Surveys
Humans
Low income groups
Male
Middle Aged
Older people
Population
Prevalence
Risk factors
Sex Distribution
Socioeconomic Factors
Statistics
Studies
Surveys
Young Adult
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Multimorbidity defined as the "the coexistence of two or more chronic diseases" in one individual, is increasing in prevalence globally. The aim of this study is to compare the prevalence of multimorbidity across low and middle-income countries (LMICs), and to investigate patterns by age and education, as a proxy for socio-economic status (SES). Chronic disease data from 28 countries of the World Health Survey (2003) were extracted and inter-country socio-economic differences were examined by gross domestic product (GDP). Regression analyses were applied to examine associations of education with multimorbidity by region adjusted for age and sex distributions. The mean world standardized multimorbidity prevalence for LMICs was 7.8 % (95 % CI, 7.79 % - 7.83 %). In all countries, multimorbidity increased significantly with age. A positive but non-linear relationship was found between country GDP and multimorbidity prevalence. Trend analyses of multimorbidity by education suggest that there are intergenerational differences, with a more inverse education gradient for younger adults compared to older adults. Higher education was significantly associated with a decreased risk of multimorbidity in the all-region analyses. Multimorbidity is a global phenomenon, not just affecting older adults in HICs. Policy makers worldwide need to address these health inequalities, and support the complex service needs of a growing multimorbid population.
ISSN:1471-2458
1471-2458
DOI:10.1186/s12889-015-2008-7