Association between multimorbidity, self-rated health and life satisfaction among independent, community-dwelling very old persons in Japan: longitudinal cohort analysis from the Kawasaki Ageing and Well-being Project

Abstract

ObjectiveThis study aimed to identify associations between multimorbidity and subjective health outcomes among the very old persons, after adjusting for coexisting conditions such as frailty and depression.Study setting and participantsThis was an observational cross-sectional study involving 1012 independent, community-dwelling very old persons (507 men, 505 women; aged 85–89 years) in Kawasaki city, Japan.Outcome measuresThe primary outcome was the cross-sectional associations between multimorbidity and poor self-rated health (SRH) and life satisfaction using binary logistic regression. The secondary outcome was the association of subjective health with each chronic condition.ResultsThe prevalence of multimorbidity (≥2 conditions) was 94.7%, and the average number of chronic conditions was 4.47±1.9. Multimorbidity was significantly associated with poor SRH in the adjusted model only when six or more chronic conditions were present (OR 4.80; 95% CI 1.34 to 17.11; p=0.016). Cerebrovascular disease, heart disease, respiratory disease, connective tissue disease and arthritis showed significant associations with poor SRH after multivariate adjustment. Sex-specific analysis replicated associations between multimorbidity with six or more conditions and SRH in both men and women, while the diseases with the greatest impact on SRH differed between men and women. Most conditions were not associated with low satisfaction with life scale, with the exception of arthritis (OR 1.92, 95% CI 1.32 to 2.78, p=0.001).ConclusionsMultimorbidity is prevalent in the independent, community-dwelling very old persons and is associated with poor SRH when six or more conditions are present; conditions causing mobility limitations, such as cerebrovascular disease, connective tissue disease and arthritis, have a negative impact on SRH.Trial registration numberUMIN000026053.

Examining correlates of life satisfaction among Indian older adults using household fixed-effect approach

“…Contrary to expectations, no significant association was found between life satisfaction and multimorbidity. Similar results were found in a study conducted on very old Japanese people [39]. These findings indirectly indicate that older people who participated in the study might not give weightage to morbidity status while making a judgement about life satisfaction.…”

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“…This study is a cross‐sectional analysis using baseline survey data from the Kawasaki Aging and Wellbeing Project (KAWP), which is an ongoing cohort study that focuses on independent older adults in Japan 24,25 . The inclusion criteria for the KWAP were defined as (1) individuals aged 85–89 years who reside in Kawasaki City, (2) community‐dwelling, and (3) able to perform activities of daily living (ADL) independently.…”

“…This study is a cross-sectional analysis using baseline survey data from the Kawasaki Aging and Wellbeing Project (KAWP), which is an ongoing cohort study that focuses on independent older adults in Japan. 24,25 The inclusion criteria for the KWAP were defined as (1) individuals aged 85-89 years who reside in Kawasaki City, (2) community-dwelling, and (3) able to perform activities of daily living (ADL) independently. The study aimed to comprehensively evaluate aging in older adults through face-to-face interviews conducted by healthcare professionals, such as physicians, nurses, pharmacists, and psychologists.…”

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