Incidence rate and determinants of multimorbidity in the community: A retrospective cohort study
Abstract
Abstract
Objective: This study aims to estimate the incidence of multimorbidity between 2009 and 2023 and to identify its key determinants.
Methods: This retrospective cohort study was conducted using a sub-cohort derived from the 2009-Balçova’s Heart Study (2009-BAK), carried out in Balçova, İzmir. In the current study, the presence of multimorbidity was considered as the outcome variable, while age groups, gender, and education level were included as independent variables. The effect of independent variables on the dependent variable was analyzed using Cox regression analysis. The incidence rates of multimorbidity were calculated according to gender and age groups. Results: Among the participants, 66.7% were women and 8.2% were aged 70 years and older; hypertension was the most prevalent chronic condition, affecting 37.2% of the total sample. The incidence rate of multimorbidity was calculated as 27.3 per 1,000 person-years overall, with 27.6 observed in females and 41.4 among individuals aged 70 years and above. According to the results of multivariable Cox regression analysis, age was strongly associated with an increased risk of multimorbidity; individuals aged 70 and above had a 3.68-fold higher risk compared to those aged 30–39 (HR: 3.68, 95% CI: 2.63–5.16, p < 0.001). Conclusion: This study is the first cohort study conducted in our country on the epidemiology of multimorbidity. This study’s results highlight the importance of targeted preventive strategies for older populations to address the growing burden of multimorbidity.
Keywords: multimorbidity, incidence, cohort study
Keywords
multimorbidity, incidence, cohort study
Supporting Institution
None.
Project Number
none.
Ethical Statement
This study was conducted in accordance with the principles of the Declaration of Helsinki. Ethical approval was obtained from the Dokuz Eylül University Non-Interventional Research Ethics Committee under the decision dated October 26, 2022 (decision no: 2022/34-30) for the project titled “Evaluation of Serum Albumin, Creatinine, Uric Acid, Magnesium and CRP Levels in Relation to Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus, Cardiovascular Diseases, Dementia and Alzheimer’s Disease: The Balçova Heart (BAK) Prospective Cohort Study”. In addition,
the thesis study based on this project was approved by the Dokuz Eylül University Non-Interventional Research Ethics Committee with the decision dated October 9, 2024 (decision no: 2024/33-06) under the title “Clusters and Determinants of Multimorbidity in the Community, and the Impact of Multimorbidity on Healthcare Utilization, Quality of Life, and Patient
Activation”.
Thanks
We would like to thank the Balçova’s Heart (BAK) Project team for their support in providing the study data.
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