PREVALENCE OF MULTIMORBIDITY AND ASSOCIATION WITH DISABILITY IN THE ADULT POPULATION OF SANTA CRUZ/RN: MDS-BRASIL STUDY
Multimorbidity, International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health, Epidemiological Surveys.
The term multimorbidity comprises the coexistence of 2 or more health conditions in the same individual and is correlated with an increased rate of mortality, functional disorders and mental disability associated with more serious illnesses. This research aims to estimate the prevalence of multimorbidity in the population over 18 years of age and its association with disability, in the municipality of Santa Cruz, using data from the MDS-Brazil instrument. This is a population-based cross-sectional observational study with a quantitative nature. Participants signed the ICF before starting the interview and could interrupt or request exclusion from the research at any time. People aged 18 or over, of both sexes, without distinction of educational level, with or without disabilities, who lived in the municipality of Santa Cruz/RN, were included. Participants who chose not to complete the interview or who demonstrated any difficulty in answering the questionnaire were excluded. For multimorbidity, consider the independent variable. Regarding the factors analyzed with multimorbidity, they were grouped into two blocks of variables, the first representing sociodemographic variables (age, sex, income, education, race/color) and the second referring to data on disability, which was considered the single dependent variable, obtained through the application of the MDS-Brazil questionnaire. The disability outcome was measured using a composite score with three functional domains; Mobility, Body Functions, Activity and Participation. For data analysis, the PSPP program was used and began by distributing the frequency of all study variables and then using the chi-square test with the adopted significance level of 5%. 518 homes were visited, with 504 qualified interviews with people over 18 years of age. The results showed a higher proportion of females, making up 76.4% of the sample, with the majority being elderly people aged 60 or over (35.5%) followed by adults aged 50 to 59 (18.1%), self-declared to be married (38.3%) with Completed Secondary Education followed by those with No Education or Incomplete Elementary Education of 16.7% and 10.9% respectively. Approximately half of the interviewees declared themselves to be mixed race (44.6%) with a monthly income of R$1,200.00. A 60.6% prevalence of self-reported multimorbidity was observed. This condition is associated with older individuals aged 60 or over, female, married to both sexes and with high school education. When comparing multimorbidity with the three aspects of functionality, significant values were observed at the level of statistically significant difference. Given the prevalence obtained in this study, it is understood as a scenario of global and growing challenge, putting pressure on the health and impotence of the population, in addition to representing a great economic burden for society. Multimorbidity compared to disability reveals statistical differences considering all its domains; mobility, body functions and activity and participation. With the findings, we conclude that multimorbidity becomes complex and can be a challenge to manage with adequate treatment.