Evidence map›Paper›PMID 30782718›Full record

ArticleBMJ open2019

Sex-specific intergenerational trends in morbidity burden and multimorbidity status in Hong Kong community: an age-period-cohort analysis of repeated population surveys.

Francisco T T Lai, Bruce Guthrie, Samuel Y S Wong, Benjamin H K Yip, Gary K K Chung, Eng-Kiong Yeoh, Roger Y Chung

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in BMJ open, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 17 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
17citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

17 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Article
  3. Disease accumulation across birth cohorts in South Korea.The journals of gerontology. Series B, Psychological sciences and social sciences · 2025
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  4. Article
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  6. Observational
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  8. Article
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  12. Multimorbidity among Two Million Adults in China.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2020
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors.

Francisco T T LaiThe Jockey Club School of Public Health and Primary Care, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong.ORCID 0000-0002-9121-1959
Bruce GuthrieCentre for Population Health Sciences, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, Scotland, UK.
Samuel Y S WongThe Jockey Club School of Public Health and Primary Care, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong.
Benjamin H K YipThe Jockey Club School of Public Health and Primary Care, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong.
Gary K K ChungThe Jockey Club School of Public Health and Primary Care, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong.
Eng-Kiong YeohThe Jockey Club School of Public Health and Primary Care, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong.
Roger Y ChungThe Jockey Club School of Public Health and Primary Care, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectivesPrevalence of multimorbidity has been increasing worldwide. While population ageing undoubtedly contributes, secular trends have seldom been decomposed into age, period and cohort effects to investigate intergenerational differences. This study examines the birth cohort effect on morbidity burden and multimorbidity in Hong Kong community.

designSex-specific age-period-cohort analysis with repeated cross-sectional surveys.

settingA territory-wide population survey database.

participants69 636 adults aged 35 or above who participated in the surveys in 1999, 2001, 2005 or 2008.

main outcome measuresMorbidity burden was operationalised as number of chronic conditions from a list of 14, while multimorbidity was defined as a dichotomous status of whether participants had two or more conditions.

resultsFor both sexes, there was an upward inflection (positive change) of risk of increased morbidity burden starting from cohort 1955-1959. For men born after 1945-1954, there was a trend of lower risk (relative risk=0.63, 95% CI 0.50 to 0.80 for 1950-1954 vs 1935-1939) which continued through subsequent cohorts but with no further declines. In women, there had been a gradual increase of risk, although only significant for cohort 1970-1974 (relative risk=1.90, 95% CI 1.08 to 1.34 vs 1935-1939). Similar results were found for dichotomous multimorbidity status.

conclusionsThe trend of lower risk starting from men born in 1945-1954 may be due to a persistent decline in smoking rates since the 1980s. On the other hand, the childhood obesity epidemic starting from the late 1950s coincided with the observed upward inflection of risk for both sexes, that is, notably more drastic increase of risk in women and the levelling-off of the decline of risk in men. These findings highlight that the cohort effects on morbidity burden and multimorbidity may be sex-specific and contextual. By examining such effects in different world populations, localised sex-specific and generation-specific risk factors can be identified to inform policy-making.

Indexed as

MultimorbidityPopulation SurveillanceAdultAgedAged, 80 and overChronic DiseaseCross-Sectional StudiesFemaleHealth SurveysHong KongHumansLongitudinal StudiesMaleMiddle AgedRisk FactorsSelf Reportbirth cohort effectobesitysmokingsocioeconomic development

Identifiers

PMID30782718
PMCPMC6347870

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.