Abstract
BackgroundCo-existence of multiple chronic diseases is increasingly becoming a norm among ageing population. The study aims to investigate the prevalence of multimorbidity and the association between anthropometric measures of obesity and multimorbidity among men and women aged 60 years and above in India.MethodsThe present study is based on the first wave of the Longitudinal Aging Study in India. The analytical sample size for the study was 28,050 older adults aged 60 years and above. Descriptive statistics and multivariable analysis using logistic regression models were conducted.ResultsBody Mass Index (BMI) based-obesity is more prevalent among older women than men (26.3% vs. 17.6%). Similarly, higher proportion of older women was at high-risk waist circumference (37.1% vs 8.9%) and waist-hip ratio (78.5 vs 75.4%) than men respectively. In Model-I, after controlling for several covariates, older adults with overweight/obesity were 1.6 times more likely to have multi-morbidity than non-obese older adults (Adjusted OR = 1.61; 95% CI: 1.48–1.74). Similarly, older adults with high-risk waist circumference [Adjusted OR: 1.66; 95% CI: 1.52–1.80] and waist-hip ratio [Adjusted OR: 1.45; 95% CI: 1.33–1.59] also had higher odds of having multi-morbidity in reference to their counterparts. In model-3 it was found that females with high-risk waist-hip ratio had 14% lower odds of multimorbidity than males with high-risk waist-hip ratio [Adjusted OR: 0.86; 95%CI: 0.78–0.94].ConclusionThe findings of the study show significant gender difference in the prevalence of multimorbidity, men being at increased risk in the multivariate analysis which is uncommon in the existing epidemiological research. Interactive effect of male gender with anthropometric measures on multimorbidity reported in our study probably due to increased unhealthy behaviours among men requires further research.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
