ArticleBMC public health2021
Prevalence and patterns of multimorbidity in Australian baby boomers: the Busselton healthy ageing study.
Article in BMC public health, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 13 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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Who cites it
13 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Exercise improves quality of life, mental health and pain in people living with osteoporosis: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Osteoporosis international : a journal established as result of cooperation between the European Foundation for Osteoporosis and the National Osteoporosis Foundation of the USA · 2026Pooled it
- Social determinants of multimorbidity patterns: A systematic review.Frontiers in public health · 2023Pooled it
- Genetic discovery using deep learning-derived optic nerve integrity phenotypes.medRxiv : the preprint server for health sciences · 2026Article
- The associations of multimorbidity with fall- and fracture-related hospitalisations: the Busselton Healthy Ageing Study.Archives of osteoporosis · 2025Article
- Interventions Addressing Symptoms in Older Adults with Multimorbidity: An Umbrella Review.Journal of multidisciplinary healthcare · 2024Review
- Article
- The art of aging well: a study of the relationship between recreational arts engagement, general health and mental wellbeing in cohort of Australian older adults.Frontiers in public health · 2023Article
- Geographical specific association between lifestyles and multimorbidity among adults in China.PloS one · 2023Article
- Patterns and Determinants of Multimorbidity in Older Adults: Study in Health-Ecological Perspective.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022Article
- Article
- Comparing self-reported and measured hypertension and hypercholesterolaemia at standard and more stringent diagnostic thresholds: the cross-sectional 2010-2015 Busselton Healthy Ageing study.Clinical hypertension · 2022Article
- Multimorbidity and health-related quality of life among patients attending chronic outpatient medical care in Bahir Dar, Northwest Ethiopia: The application of partial proportional odds model.PLOS global public health · 2022Article
- Article
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18 authors.
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Abstract
BACKGROUND AND
objectiveChronic medical conditions accumulate within individuals with age. However, knowledge concerning the trends, patterns and determinants of multimorbidity remains limited. This study assessed the prevalence and patterns of multimorbidity using extensive individual phenotyping in a general population of Australian middle-aged adults.
methodsParticipants (n = 5029, 55% female), born between 1946 and 1964 and attending the cross-sectional phase of the Busselton Healthy Ageing Study (BHAS) between 2010 and 2015, were studied. Prevalence of 21 chronic conditions was estimated using clinical measurement, validated instrument scores and/or self-reported doctor-diagnosis. Non-random patterns of multimorbidity were explored using observed/expected (O/E) prevalence ratios and latent class analysis (LCA). Variables associated with numbers of conditions and class of multimorbidity were investigated.
resultsThe individual prevalence of 21 chronic conditions ranged from 2 to 54% and multimorbidity was common with 73% of the cohort having 2 or more chronic conditions. (mean ± SD 2.75 ± 1.84, median = 2.00, range 0-13). The prevalence of multimorbidity increased with age, obesity, physical inactivity, tobacco smoking and family history of asthma, diabetes, myocardial infarct or cancer. There were 13 pairs and 27 triplets of conditions identified with a prevalence > 1.5% and O/E > 1.5. Of the triplets, arthritis (> 50%), bowel disease (> 33%) and depression-anxiety (> 33%) were observed most commonly. LCA modelling identified 4 statistically and clinically distinct classes of multimorbidity labelled as: 1) "Healthy" (70%) with average of 1.95 conditions; 2) "Respiratory and Atopy" (11%, 3.65 conditions); 3) "Non-cardiometabolic" (14%, 4.77 conditions), and 4) "Cardiometabolic" (5%, 6.32 conditions). Predictors of multimorbidity class membership differed between classes and differed from predictors of number of co-occurring conditions.
conclusionMultimorbidity is common among middle-aged adults from a general population. Some conditions associated with ageing such as arthritis, bowel disease and depression-anxiety co-occur in clinically distinct patterns and at higher prevalence than expected by chance. These findings may inform further studies into shared biological and environmental causes of co-occurring conditions of ageing. Recognition of distinct patterns of multimorbidity may aid in a holistic approach to care management in individuals presenting with multiple chronic conditions, while also guiding health resource allocation in ageing populations.
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