Self-rated health in multimorbid older general practice patients: a cross-sectional study in Germany

TY - JOUR

T1 - Self-rated health in multimorbid older general practice patients: a cross-sectional study in Germany

AU - Nützel, Anna

AU - Dahlhaus, Anne

AU - Fuchs, Angela

AU - Gensichen, Jochen

AU - König, Hans-Helmut

AU - Riedel-Heller, Steffi

AU - Maier, Wolfgang

AU - Schäfer, Ingmar

AU - Schön, Gerhard

AU - Weyerer, Siegfried

AU - Wiese, Birgitt

AU - Scherer, Martin

AU - Bussche van den, Hendrik

AU - Bickel, Horst

PY - 2014/1/1

Y1 - 2014/1/1

N2 - BACKGROUND: With increasing life expectancy the number of people affected by multimorbidity rises. Knowledge of factors associated with health-related quality of life in multimorbid people is scarce. We aimed to identify the factors that are associated with self-rated health (SRH) in aged multimorbid primary care patients.METHODS: Cross-sectional study with 3,189 multimorbid primary care patients aged from 65 to 85 years recruited in 158 general practices in 8 study centers in Germany. Information about morbidity, risk factors, resources, functional status and socio-economic data were collected in face-to-face interviews. Factors associated with SRH were identified by multivariable regression analyses.RESULTS: Depression, somatization, pain, limitations of instrumental activities (iADL), age, distress and Body Mass Index (BMI) were inversely related with SRH. Higher levels of physical activity, income and self-efficacy expectation had a positive association with SRH. The only chronic diseases remaining in the final model were Parkinson's disease and neuropathies. The final model accounted for 35% variance of SRH. Separate analyses for men and women detected some similarities; however, gender specific variation existed for several factors.CONCLUSION: In multimorbid patients symptoms and consequences of diseases such as pain and activity limitations, as well as depression, seem to be far stronger associated with SRH than the diseases themselves. High income and self-efficacy expectation are independently associated with better SRH and high BMI and age with low SRH.

AB - BACKGROUND: With increasing life expectancy the number of people affected by multimorbidity rises. Knowledge of factors associated with health-related quality of life in multimorbid people is scarce. We aimed to identify the factors that are associated with self-rated health (SRH) in aged multimorbid primary care patients.METHODS: Cross-sectional study with 3,189 multimorbid primary care patients aged from 65 to 85 years recruited in 158 general practices in 8 study centers in Germany. Information about morbidity, risk factors, resources, functional status and socio-economic data were collected in face-to-face interviews. Factors associated with SRH were identified by multivariable regression analyses.RESULTS: Depression, somatization, pain, limitations of instrumental activities (iADL), age, distress and Body Mass Index (BMI) were inversely related with SRH. Higher levels of physical activity, income and self-efficacy expectation had a positive association with SRH. The only chronic diseases remaining in the final model were Parkinson's disease and neuropathies. The final model accounted for 35% variance of SRH. Separate analyses for men and women detected some similarities; however, gender specific variation existed for several factors.CONCLUSION: In multimorbid patients symptoms and consequences of diseases such as pain and activity limitations, as well as depression, seem to be far stronger associated with SRH than the diseases themselves. High income and self-efficacy expectation are independently associated with better SRH and high BMI and age with low SRH.

U2 - 10.1186/1471-2296-15-1

DO - 10.1186/1471-2296-15-1

M3 - SCORING: Journal article

C2 - 24387712

VL - 15

SP - 1

JO - BMC PRIM CARE

JF - BMC PRIM CARE

SN - 1471-2296

ER -