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Published in: BMC Public Health 1/2019

Open Access 01-12-2019 | Care | Research article

Patterns of physical activity and health-related quality of life amongst patients with multimorbidity in a multi-ethnic Asian population

Authors: Mythily Subramaniam, Yunjue Zhang, Jue Hua Lau, Janhavi Ajit Vaingankar, Edimansyah Abdin, Siow Ann Chong, Eng Sing Lee

Published in: BMC Public Health | Issue 1/2019

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Abstract

Background

The co-occurrence of two or more chronic medical conditions in an individual is defined as multimorbidity. Lifestyle factors, including poor dietary patterns, physical inactivity, tobacco use, and excessive alcohol consumption are key modifiable risk factors that play a role in the development of chronic medical conditions and potentially multimorbidity. The current study aimed to examine the level of physical activity among those with multimorbidity and its association with socio-demographic factors, clinical parameters, and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) among community-dwelling adults attending a primary care clinic in Singapore.

Methods

This cross-sectional study was conducted among patients with multimorbidity between August 2014 and June 2016. Physical activity was measured using the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) Short Form. HRQoL was measured using the EuroQol-5 Dimension (EQ-5D-3 L). Data on clinical parameters including hemoglobin A1c (HbA1C), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), and blood pressure were collected from patient records. Multivariable logistic regression analysis and linear regression were performed to determine the association between IPAQ and clinical health outcomes, as well as HRQoL measures, respectively.

Results

In all, 932 respondents with multimorbidity were recruited for the study. Of these, 500 (53.8%) had low physical activity, 325 (35.0%) had moderate physical activity, while 104 (11.2%) had high physical activity. Respondents who were insufficiently active had significantly higher odds of being overweight/ obese (OR: 1.5, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.1–1.9, p = 0.01) as compared to those who were sufficiently physically active. The multiple linear regression model revealed that insufficient activity level was negatively associated with EQ-5D index score (β = − 0.05, p <  0.001) and the visual analogue scale (β = − 4.4, p <  0.001) measuring HRQoL as compared to sufficient activity levels in respondents with multimorbidity.

Conclusions

The low levels of physical activity among patients with multimorbidity, and its association with overweight status and poorer HRQoL emphasizes the importance of increasing physical activity in this population. Family physicians treating patients with chronic diseases need to continue encouraging and helping individuals to initiate and maintain appropriate physical activity levels.
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Metadata
Title
Patterns of physical activity and health-related quality of life amongst patients with multimorbidity in a multi-ethnic Asian population
Authors
Mythily Subramaniam
Yunjue Zhang
Jue Hua Lau
Janhavi Ajit Vaingankar
Edimansyah Abdin
Siow Ann Chong
Eng Sing Lee
Publication date
01-12-2019
Publisher
BioMed Central
Keyword
Care
Published in
BMC Public Health / Issue 1/2019
Electronic ISSN: 1471-2458
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-019-7941-4

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