Simultaneity of physical inactivity and other unhealthy behaviors associated with multimorbidity in older adults

Abstract

The study aims to identify the simultaneous presence of physical inactivity and other unhealthy behaviors and their association with the presence of multimorbidity in the elderly. This is a population-based cross-sectional study, which used data from 310 elderly people (≥60 years old) participating in the project entitled "Monitoring the Health Conditions of the Elderly in a Small Municipality (MONIDI)". Multimorbidity was identified by the self-reported presence of two or more chronic diseases. The risk behaviors included were: physical inactivity during leisure time (PIL), sedentary behavior (SB), inadequate consumption of fruits and vegetables (ICFV) and excessive consumption of salty foods (ECSF). The grouping was defined by the ratio between the observed and expected prevalence greater than 1. The association between the simultaneous presence of unhealthy behaviors and multimorbidity was analyzed using binary logistic regression. It was observed that PIL (analyzed individually) was the only behavior associated with the presence of multimorbidity at the limit of the association. Among the analyzed clusters, the combinations between PIL, SB and ECSF (O/E = 1.67), followed by PIL and ECSF (O/E = 1.64), were the ones that presented the highest cluster scores. When evaluating the association between the combinations and the presence of multimorbidity in the crude and adjusted analysis, no statistical differences were found. Taking into account that PIL and ECSF were the most prevalent behaviors among the clusters, it is important to carry out measures to reduce them. The results achieved represent useful information for health management, being an input for public policies aimed at changing behavior.