Prevalence of multimorbidity among urban-rural older adults in Mongolia: a cross-sectional study

Abstract

Background: Multimorbidity presents medical challenges, incurs high medical costs, burdens the economy, and increases mortality risk among adults. Despite its impact, recent surveys identifying risk factors for multimorbidity and its association with quality of life in Mongolia are lacking. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of multimorbidity and its risk factors for multimorbidity among older adults (aged sixty years and above) in urban and rural areas in Mongolia.

Methods: A face-to-face, questionnaire-based cross-sectional study was conducted with 720 valid participants aged ≥ 60 years in Mongolia from June to September 2023.

Results: The study revealed that (1) the prevalence of multimorbidity among older adults was 66.94%, with 51.87% of rural respondents and 48.13% of urban respondents affected; (2) the multimorbidity rate was significantly higher among low-income older adults (80.68%) than among middle-income older adults (58.24%), with a significant difference (χ² = 35.94, P < 0.001); (3) the multimorbidity rates were 4.72% for two chronic diseases, 12.50% for three, 15.42% for four, and 10.83% for five chronic diseases; and (4) seven patterns of multimorbidity associated with rheumatoid arthritis were identified in rural older adults, whereas six patterns related to hypertension were observed in urban older adults.

Conclusion: The prevalence of multimorbidity is notably high among older adults in both rural and urban Mongolia, with distinct differences in chronic disease patterns and risk factors. The implementation of systemic transformations may help reduce multimorbidity rates and increase the overall health of older adults across various settings.

Keywords: Health management; Multimorbidity; Older adults; Risk factors; Urban‒Rural areas.

Fig. 1

The pattern of chronic multimorbidity with high prevalence among older adults