Association between physical activity, multimorbidity, self-rated health and functional limitation in the Spanish population

Abstract

BackgroundPhysical activity (PA) has been shown to improve the general health of patients with chronic diseases and to prevent the onset of such conditions. However, the association between multimorbidity and PA has not been investigated in detail, and recent studies of this topic yield dissenting results. The objective of this study was to examine whether PA levels were associated with multimorbidity, self-rated health and functional limitation.MethodsThis was a cross-sectional study based on data from the 2009 European Health Interview Survey for Spain. The sample population included 22,190 adults over 15 years of age. The independent variables were multimorbidity (measured as the number of chronic diseases), activity limitations, and self-rated health status. The dependent variable was PA level, measured as a) a continuous variable in metabolic equivalents (METs) and b) a dichotomous variable based on international recommendations (</≥500 MET-minutes per week). The associations between the dependent and independent variables were evaluated across sex and age groups (16–24, 25–44, 45–64, 65–74, >74 years), using multivariate linear and logistic regression models that were adjusted for age, educational level and employment status.ResultsAn inverse association was found between PA and multimorbidity among older males and young females between 16–24 years. This negative association was also observed among males aged 25–44 years when analysing PA as a dichotomous variable. Self-rated health status was directly related to the achievement of minimum PA levels among middle-aged and older individuals, but the opposite happened among the youngest group of females. Significant associations between the existence of activity limitations and the performance of lower volumes of PA were consistently observed among subjects over 44 years.ConclusionsThere is an inverse association between multimorbidity and PA in the youngest and oldest age groups. In addition, both low self-rated health status and the presence of functional limitations were related to lower PA in most of the examined population groups. These features should be considered in the design and implementation of community-based approaches to promoting PA, if further corroborated in longitudinal studies.

Impact of Chronic Diseases and Multimorbidity on Health and Health Care Costs: The Additional Role of Musculoskeletal Disorders

“…In our study population, the overall prevalence of multimorbidity was 20%. Importantly, an MSKD was present in 56% of the persons with multimorbidity, which is in line with other studies on multimorbidity patterns in either general or primary care populations .…”

“…So far, only a limited number of studies investigated HRQoL and costs of health care utilization in the context of multimorbidity, but the common finding is that an increasing number of diseases strongly affect HRQoL and health care utilization. MSKDs are frequently part of multimorbidity . A Spanish cross‐sectional study reported that the HRQoL in patients with multimorbidity decreases when an MSKD is one of the diseases .…”

Aging and Multimorbidity: New Tasks, Priorities, and Frontiers for Integrated Gerontological and Clinical Research

“…Meanwhile, no association has been found between multimorbidity and alcohol consumption. 37,41,47–49 …”

Chronic physical conditions, multimorbidity and physical activity across 46 low- and middle-income countries

“…However, to date, most of the research investigating associations between physical activity, chronic diseases and multimorbidity has focused on high-income countries. For example, in a Spanish study [24] involving 22,190 adults, an inverse association was found between multimorbidity and levels of physical activity participation in the youngest and oldest age groups. In addition, both low self-rated health status and functional limitations were related to lower physical activity in most of the examined population groups.…”