Dataset Information

Epidemiologic Characteristics of Multimorbidity and Sociodemographic Factors Associated With Multimorbidity in a Rapidly Aging Asian Country.

ABSTRACT:

Importance

Multimorbidity is a growing health care problem in aging societies and is strongly associated with epidemiologic characteristics and sociodemographic factors. Knowledge of these associations is important for the design of effective preventive and management strategies.

Objectives

To determine the association between multimorbidity and sociodemographic factors (age, socioeconomic status [SES], sex, and race/ethnicity) and the association between mental health diseases and physical diseases, as well as their implications for the types and costs of health care use.

Design, setting, and participants

This population-based cross-sectional study used deidentified Singapore Eastern Regional Health System data collected between January 1, 2012, and December 31, 2016. Patients who were alive as of January 1, 2016, and residing in the Regional Health System region in 2016 (N = 1 181 024) were included. Patients who had no year of birth records (n = 573), were born in 2017 (n = 93), or died before January 1, 2016 (n = 47 322), were excluded.

Main outcomes and measures

Multimorbidity, age, sex, SES, mental health, race/ethnicity, and health care use.

Results

In the study population of 1 181 024 individuals, the mean (SD) age was 39.6 (22.1) years, 51.2% were women, 70.1% were Chinese, 7.1% were Indian, 13.5% were Malayan, and 9.3% were other races/ethnicities. Multimorbidity, present in 26.2% of the population, was more prevalent in female (26.8%; 95% CI, 26.7%-26.9%) than in male (25.6%; 95% CI, 25.5%-25.7%) patients and among patients with low SES (41.6%) than those with high SES (20.1%). Mental health diseases were significantly more prevalent among individuals with low SES (5.2%; 95% CI, 5.1%-5.2%) than high SES (2.1%; 95% CI, 2.0%-2.1%; P < .001). The 3 most prevalent disease combinations were chronic kidney disease and hypertension, chronic kidney disease and lipid disorders, and hypertension and lipid disorders. Although chronic kidney disease, hypertension, lipid disorders, and type 1 and/or type 2 diabetes-related diseases had a low cost per capita, the large number of patients with these conditions caused the overall proportion of the cost incurred by health care use to be more than twice that incurred in other diseases.

Conclusions and relevance

These findings emphasize the association between multimorbidity and sociodemographic factors such as increasing age, lower SES, female sex, and increasing number of mental disorders. Health care policies need to take sociodemographic factors into account when tackling multimorbidity in a population.

SUBMITTER: Low LL

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6902794 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

ACCESS DATA

Publications

Epidemiologic Characteristics of Multimorbidity and Sociodemographic Factors Associated With Multimorbidity in a Rapidly Aging Asian Country.

Low Lian Leng LL Kwan Yu Heng YH Ko Michelle Shi Min MSM Yeam Cheng Teng CT Lee Vivian Shu Yi VSY Tan Wee Boon WB Thumboo Julian J

JAMA network open 20191101 11

<h4>Importance</h4>Multimorbidity is a growing health care problem in aging societies and is strongly associated with epidemiologic characteristics and sociodemographic factors. Knowledge of these associations is important for the design of effective preventive and management strategies.<h4>Objectives</h4>To determine the association between multimorbidity and sociodemographic factors (age, socioeconomic status [SES], sex, and race/ethnicity) and the association between mental health diseases an ...[more]

PMID: 31722030

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Dataset Information

Epidemiologic Characteristics of Multimorbidity and Sociodemographic Factors Associated With Multimorbidity in a Rapidly Aging Asian Country.

Importance

Objectives

Design, setting, and participants

Main outcomes and measures

Results

Conclusions and relevance

Publications

Epidemiologic Characteristics of Multimorbidity and Sociodemographic Factors Associated With Multimorbidity in a Rapidly Aging Asian Country.

Similar Datasets

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