Prevalence, associated factors and temporal trends in multimorbidity in older adults in Singapore

The study aims to understand a) the prevalence, associated factors and temporal changes in multimorbidity (having 2 or more chronic conditions) in older adults in Singapore. The single-phase, nationwide cross-sectional study employed respondent-level stratified random sampling to recruit the older adults (N = 2010, ≥ 60 years). Analyses included descriptive statistics and multiple logistic regression models with sampling weights. The prevalence of multimorbidity in the current study was 48.4%, compared to 51.5% in 2012 (p = 0.18). The top three prevalent conditions were hypertension (53.7%), diabetes (24.9%), and arthritis (25.5%). The most common combinations were hypertension and diabetes (19.1%), followed by hypertension and arthritis (15.3%), and hypertension and heart problems (9.0%). Older age (75-80 years vs. 60-74 years), ethnicity (Indian and Malay vs. Chinese), education (tertiary vs. no education), disability, and requiring help with Activities of Daily Living (ADL) were associated with higher odds of multimorbidity. Multimorbidity had an inverse relationship with self-perceived health status. While there was no significant temporal change in the prevalence of multimorbidity, the prevalence remained high despite national level campaigns and preventive efforts, which is a cause for concern.