Neighborhood’s locality, road types, and residents’ multimorbidity: evidence from China’s middle-aged and older adults

Abstract

Background Neighborhood factors have gained increasing attention, while the association between the neighborhood’s characteristics and multimorbidity has not been clarified. In this study, we aim to depict variations in the number of non-communicable chronic diseases (NCDs) as a function of urban vs. rural settings and road types. Methods The present cross-sectional study derived data from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study 2011 National Baseline Survey. Negative binomial regression with clustered robust standard errors was performed to analyze variations in the number of NCDs among 13,414 Chinese middle-aged and older adults. Logistic regression models were employed to investigate the association between neighborhood-level characteristics and each NCD, respectively. Results First, over 65% of subjects had at least one NCDs, and over 35% had multimorbidity. Arthritis (33.08%), hypertension (24.54%), and digestive disease (21.98%) were the most prevalent NCDs. Urban vs. rural differences in multimorbidity were fully explained by neighborhood clustering variations (IRR = 1.02, 95% CI, 0.95–1.10). Living with paved roads was associated with a smaller number of NCDs relative to living with unpaved roads (IRR = 0.86, 95% CI, 0.78–0.95). Results from subgroup analyses suggested that in comparison with those living with unpaved roads, individuals living with paved roads respectively had lower odds of chronic lung disease (OR = 0.76, 95% CI, 0.63–0.93), chronic liver disease (OR = 0.74, 95% CI, 0.55–0.99), chronic kidney disease (OR = 0.68, 95% CI, 0.51–0.89), digestive disease (OR = 0.82, 95% CI, 0.69–0.97), arthritis or rheumatism (OR = 0.69, 95% CI, 0.55–0.87), and asthma (OR = 0.67, 95% CI, 0.51–0.88). Conclusions Urban vs. rural disparities in multimorbidity appeared to result from within-neighborhoods characteristics. The improvement in neighborhood-level characteristics, such as road pavement, holds promise to alleviate the increasing disease burden of chronic diseases.

Characteristics of Oral Mucosal Lesions and Their Association With Socioeconomic Status and Systemic Health: A Cross-Sectional Study of Consecutively Collected Oral Medicine Clinic Data in a Remote Rural Area of China

“…Prolonged standing or lengthy climbing up and down during work increases the risk of arthritis. This finding about comorbidities was also consistent to the spectrum of chronic disease in a study from China ( 13 ).…”

Characteristics of oral mucosal lesions and their association with socioeconomic status and systemic health in a remote rural area in China: a cross-sectional study of 146 cases

“…Prolonged standing or lengthy climbing up and down during work increases the risk of arthritis. This nding about comorbidities was also consistent to the spectrum of chronic disease in a study from China [10].…”

Does Economic Support Have an Impact on the Health Status of Elderly Patients With Chronic Diseases in China? - Based on CHARLS (2018) Data Research

“…According to data from the China Health Statistics Yearbook, the prevalence of chronic diseases among residents over 65 years old in the regions surveyed in 2018 was as high as 62.3%. It shows a trend that the prevalence of chronic diseases in the elderly is high and chronic diseases are more common in the elderly (9).…”