The prevalence of multimorbidity and associations with lifestyle factors among middle-aged Canadians: an analysis of Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging data

BACKGROUND: Multimorbidity can be defined as the presence of more than one chronic condition in an individual. Research on multimorbidity has predominantly focused on older adults and few studies have examined multimorbidity in middle-aged people. The objectives of this study were to: 1) examine the prevalence of multimorbidity among middle-aged Canadians; and 2) examine the association between lifestyle factors (smoking, alcohol intake, physical activity) and multimorbidity in this age group. METHODS: In this analysis of the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging (CLSA) baseline data, we extracted data from 29,841 participants aged 45–64 years from a database of 51,338 people aged 45–85 years. Self-reported data on 27 chronic physical health conditions were used to derive different multimorbidity definitions. We estimated the prevalence of 3+ to 5+ chronic physical health conditions in different subgroups for descriptive purposes. Multivariable logistic regression analyses were performed to determine the association between socio-demographic and lifestyle factors, and multimorbidity using a 3+ multimorbidity case definition. RESULT: We found that 39.6% (99% CI 38.4–40.7) of participants had three or more chronic conditions with a mean number of chronic condition of 2.41 (99% CI 2.37–2.46). The prevalence of multimorbidity increased with age from 29.7% in the 45–49-year-old age group to 52% in individuals aged 60–64 years. The prevalence of 4+ and 5+ chronic conditions was 24.5 and 14.2% respectively. Analyses indicated that female sex and low income were associated with higher odds of multimorbidity, whereas daily or weekly alcohol intake were associated with lower odds of multimorbidity. Exercise was not associated with multimorbidity. Results were similar when analyses were conducted separately for women and men. CONCLUSIONS: Multimorbidity is not limited to older adults, but is a common phenomenon among middle-aged people. Longitudinal research is needed to better understand the temporal relationship between lifestyle factors and multimorbidity.