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Does self-report of multimorbidity in later life predict impaired physical functioning, and might this be useful in clinical practice?

Does self-report of multimorbidity in later life predict impaired physical functioning, and might this be useful in clinical practice?
Does self-report of multimorbidity in later life predict impaired physical functioning, and might this be useful in clinical practice?

Background: Multimorbidity has been shown in several studies to relate to impaired physical function in later life. Aims: To examine if self-report of multimorbidity predicts impaired physical functioning, as assessed by formal physical function testing, in community-dwelling older adults. Methods: Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) were self-reported by 443 older community-dwelling UK adults via questionnaire, asking the question: ‘Have you been told by a doctor that you have any of the following conditions?’ Assessments of walking speed, chair stands and balance allowed us to create a composite score (0–12) on which impaired physical functioning was defined as ≤ 9. Results: The mean age of participants was 75.5 ± 2.5 years for men and 75.8 ± 2.6 for women. The proportion of individuals with impaired physical functioning was 71.2% in women and 56.9% in men. Having four or more NCDs was associated with an increased risk of poor physical function in men and women (p < 0.05). The number of medications and medicated systems was associated with gait speed (p < 0.03 and < 0.02, respectively) and timed up-and-go tests (p < 0.03 and < 0.02, respectively) in women but not men. Discussion and conclusion: Self-report of 4 or more NCDs was associated with an increased risk of poor physical function, an outcome which has previously been associated with adverse clinical sequelae. This observation may inform development of a simple screening tool to look for poor physical function in older adults.

Ageing, Multimorbidity, Non-communicable diseases, Older people, Physical functioning
1594-0667
1443-1450
Clynes, Michael
b860d3b7-12ee-42b8-8cd5-1e1abfccbee2
Bevilacqua, Gregorio
e93e3b18-7d1e-4da5-9fcd-e6b4637e1c2e
Jameson, Karen
d5fb142d-06af-456e-9016-17497f94e9f2
Cooper, Cyrus
e05f5612-b493-4273-9b71-9e0ce32bdad6
Dennison, Elaine
ee647287-edb4-4392-8361-e59fd505b1d1
Clynes, Michael
b860d3b7-12ee-42b8-8cd5-1e1abfccbee2
Bevilacqua, Gregorio
e93e3b18-7d1e-4da5-9fcd-e6b4637e1c2e
Jameson, Karen
d5fb142d-06af-456e-9016-17497f94e9f2
Cooper, Cyrus
e05f5612-b493-4273-9b71-9e0ce32bdad6
Dennison, Elaine
ee647287-edb4-4392-8361-e59fd505b1d1

Clynes, Michael, Bevilacqua, Gregorio, Jameson, Karen, Cooper, Cyrus and Dennison, Elaine (2020) Does self-report of multimorbidity in later life predict impaired physical functioning, and might this be useful in clinical practice? Aging Clinical and Experimental Research, 32 (8), 1443-1450. (doi:10.1007/s40520-020-01500-8).

Record type: Article

Abstract

Background: Multimorbidity has been shown in several studies to relate to impaired physical function in later life. Aims: To examine if self-report of multimorbidity predicts impaired physical functioning, as assessed by formal physical function testing, in community-dwelling older adults. Methods: Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) were self-reported by 443 older community-dwelling UK adults via questionnaire, asking the question: ‘Have you been told by a doctor that you have any of the following conditions?’ Assessments of walking speed, chair stands and balance allowed us to create a composite score (0–12) on which impaired physical functioning was defined as ≤ 9. Results: The mean age of participants was 75.5 ± 2.5 years for men and 75.8 ± 2.6 for women. The proportion of individuals with impaired physical functioning was 71.2% in women and 56.9% in men. Having four or more NCDs was associated with an increased risk of poor physical function in men and women (p < 0.05). The number of medications and medicated systems was associated with gait speed (p < 0.03 and < 0.02, respectively) and timed up-and-go tests (p < 0.03 and < 0.02, respectively) in women but not men. Discussion and conclusion: Self-report of 4 or more NCDs was associated with an increased risk of poor physical function, an outcome which has previously been associated with adverse clinical sequelae. This observation may inform development of a simple screening tool to look for poor physical function in older adults.

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Accepted/In Press date: 27 January 2020
e-pub ahead of print date: 13 February 2020
Published date: 1 August 2020
Keywords: Ageing, Multimorbidity, Non-communicable diseases, Older people, Physical functioning

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 437543
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/437543
ISSN: 1594-0667
PURE UUID: 13c5d6f5-9a0f-4708-b93d-eda72feb1c07
ORCID for Michael Clynes: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0001-7597-7658
ORCID for Gregorio Bevilacqua: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0001-7819-1482
ORCID for Cyrus Cooper: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0003-3510-0709
ORCID for Elaine Dennison: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0002-3048-4961

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Date deposited: 04 Feb 2020 18:02
Last modified: 18 Mar 2024 05:06

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Contributors

Author: Michael Clynes ORCID iD
Author: Gregorio Bevilacqua ORCID iD
Author: Karen Jameson
Author: Cyrus Cooper ORCID iD
Author: Elaine Dennison ORCID iD

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