Burden and Determinants of Multimorbidity Among Women in Reproductive Age-Group: A Cross-Sectional Study Based in India

Abstract

Background: Government of India is currently running several programs with a sole focus on women’s health during their child-bearing years. However, none of these programs incorporate management of chronic health conditions during the reproductive span (15-49 years). This issue is an emerging public health concern, and therefore, the present study aims to identify the patterns and correlates of multi-morbidity among women in their reproductive age-groups (15-49 years) in India. Methods: The study utilizes a nationally-representative cross-sectional data from the Demographic and Health Survey on 661,811 women in their reproductive age group of 15-49 years in India during 2015-16. The study uses the information of seven chronic morbidities, namely asthma, cancers, heart disease, diabetes, tuberculosis, hypertension, and thyroid disorder. Descriptive, bi-variate, and multivariate techniques were utilized to accomplish the study objective. Results: The findings show that 17.4 and 3.5 per 100 women in the reproductive age-group suffered from any one morbidity and multi-morbidity, respectively. Hypertension, diabetes, and thyroid disorders were commonly occurring chronic morbidities among women. The prevalence of having any one morbidity or multi-morbidity increased with age. Variables like religion, region, wealth, parity, menopause, consumption of tobacco and alcohol, Body Mass Index, and type of diet were found to be significantly related to the burden of multi-morbidity. The prevalence of multi-morbidity was found to be higher for the women who belong to the Southern, Eastern, and North-eastern region of India. Conclusions: Findings suggests the importance of multi-morbidity in the context of women in the reproductive age-group. Inclusion of chronic disease management strategies with Maternal and Child Health (MCH) services needs to be taken into consideration by the program and policy-makers. The annexation of social marketing approaches at the primary level of healthcare would assist the policy- makers in educating the women about the importance of leading a healthy lifestyle. Practicing dietary diversity can help in maintaining optimal estrogen level, which would further help in plummeting multi-morbidity rates among women in India.