Association of socioeconomic and lifestyle factors with chronic non-communicable diseases and multimorbidity among the elderly in rural southwest China

Background: This study estimates the prevalence of five chronic non-communicable disease (NCDs) (hypertension, diabetes, CHD, COPD and stroke) and its multimorbidity, and examines the relationship between SES and lifestyle factors and multimorbidity among older adults in rural southwest China. Methods: A cross-sectional survey of 4833 consenting adults aged .60 years was conducted in 2017. Data on the demographics, smoking, drinking, height, weight, blood pressure and fasting blood glucose were collected. Results: Among the participants, the overall prevalence of hypertension, diabetes, stroke, COPD and CHD was 50.6, 10.2, 6.4, 5.4 and 5.5%, respectively, and of multimorbidity was 16.1%. Females had a higher prevalence of hypertension, diabetes and multimorbidity of chronic NCDs, but a lower prevalence of COPD than males (P < 0.05). Older adults with good household assets and access to medical services were less likely to experience multimorbidity, whereas obese and centrally obese participants, current smokers, current drinkers and those with a family history of chronic NCDs had a greater probability of multimorbidity. Conclusions: The findings suggest that effective strategies for prevention and control of chronic NCDs and its multimorbidity are urgently needed, especially for low-income, elderly, ethnic minority adults with poor access to medical services.