Introduction
Multimorbidity is increasingly recognized as a key issue in the prevention
and management of chronic diseases. We examined the prevalence and correlates of
chronic disease multimorbidity in the general adult Canadian population in relation to
age and other key determinants.
Methods
We extracted data from the Canadian Community Health Survey 2011/12 on
105 416 Canadians adults. We analysed the data according to the number of
multimorbidities (defined as 2+ or 3+ diseases from a list of 9) and examined the
determinants of multimorbidity using regression analyses.
Results
Our findings show that 12.9% of Canadians report 2+ chronic diseases and
3.9% report 3+ chronic diseases. Those reporting 3 or more chronic diseases were more
likely to be female, older, living in the lowest income quintile and to have not completed
high school. In the overall population, social deprivation is associated with a 3.7 odds of
multimorbidity, but when examined across age groups, the odds of multimorbidity were
notably higher in middle age, 7.5 for those aged 35 to 49 years and 5.4 for those aged 50
to 64 years.
Conclusion
As the proportion of Canadians living with multiple chronic diseases
increases, we need to assess chronic disease from a holistic perspective that captures
multimorbidity and upstream factors, to facilitate broader and more context-appropriate
associations with healthy living, quality of life, health care costs and mortality. Special
consideration should be given to the role that social deprivation plays in the
development of multimorbidity. Canadians living in the lowest socioeconomic group
are not only more likely to develop multimorbidity, but the onset of multimorbidity is
also likely to be significantly earlier.