Nigar Kashfi, Pathak Praveen Kumar
Department of Geography, Jamia Millia Islamia University, Jamia Nagar, Okhla, New Delhi, 110025, India.
Department of Centre for the Study of Regional Development, School of Social Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, 110067, India.
Arch Public Health. 2025 Aug 11;83(1):208. doi: 10.1186/s13690-025-01546-y.
As the share of the older population is set to rise from 8% in 2011 to 16% by 2036 in India, the increasing burden of NCDs and the increasing co-morbidities among the older population need greater policy focus to ensure a healthier aging process. Given the structural shifts in the age structure of the population and decreasing family sizes, contextual factors take an even more important role in shaping the health status of the elderly. Therefore, the present study aims to study the intersectional dynamics of demographic, socioeconomic, lifestyle, and contextual factors on the prevalence of co-morbidities among the older population.
The data from the Indian Human Development Survey, 2012 (IHDS-II), were used to analyze the prevalence of co-morbidity and its confounding factors in India. Univariate analysis for sample distribution, bivariate analysis for the distribution of disease by different predictors with a chi-square test, and logistic regression analyses were used to assess the adjusted association of multimorbidity with different background variables.
Overall, around 7% of the older population in India suffers from co-morbidities. We observe that the prevalence of co-morbidities is significantly higher among non-poor (People belonging to a non-poor household category based on the consumption quintiles) older females living alone, non-poor older females living jointly, and among non-poor older males living alone. The odds of having comorbidity among female non-poor and living alone are higher as compared to the female poor living alone. When all the co-variates are included in a single model, we observe that older adults living in nuclear families and residing in the North, Central, and Southern regions of India along with other factors discussed above show higher odds of having co-morbidities.
The research findings suggest that directing increased investments towards addressing multiple health issues in the elderly population, with a particular focus on non-poor women and men living alone, could be a more effective strategy in combating multimorbidity among older individuals in India.
在印度，老年人口的比例预计将从2011年的8%上升至2036年的16%，非传染性疾病负担的增加以及老年人口中合并症的增多需要政策给予更多关注，以确保更健康的老龄化进程。鉴于人口年龄结构的结构性变化和家庭规模的缩小，背景因素在塑造老年人健康状况方面发挥着更为重要的作用。因此，本研究旨在探讨人口统计学、社会经济、生活方式和背景因素对老年人口中合并症患病率的交叉影响。
使用2012年印度人类发展调查（IHDS-II）的数据来分析印度合并症的患病率及其混杂因素。对样本分布进行单变量分析，通过卡方检验对不同预测因素的疾病分布进行双变量分析，并使用逻辑回归分析来评估多种合并症与不同背景变量的调整关联。
总体而言，印度约7%的老年人口患有合并症。我们观察到，在非贫困（根据消费五分位数属于非贫困家庭类别的人）独居老年女性、非贫困共同居住老年女性以及非贫困独居老年男性中，合并症的患病率显著更高。与贫困独居女性相比，非贫困独居女性患合并症的几率更高。当将所有协变量纳入单一模型时，我们观察到，与上述其他因素一起，生活在核心家庭且居住在印度北部、中部和南部地区的老年人患合并症的几率更高。
研究结果表明，增加投资以解决老年人口中的多种健康问题，尤其关注非贫困独居男女，可能是应对印度老年人多种合并症的更有效策略。
Zotero 插件
