Study on the Association between Multiple Chronic Conditions and Impaired Activities of Daily Living in the Elderly

Background With the acceleration of population aging, there has been a continuous increase in the number of elderly individuals suffering from multiple chronic conditions and impaired activities of daily living (ADL), imposing a substantial healthcare burden on society. While multiple chronic conditions are highly associated with impairment in ADL, the specific mechanisms and combinatorial effects have not been fully elucidated. Objective This study aims to analyze the current status of multiple chronic conditions among the elderly in China and explore the association between different comorbidity combinations and ADL, thereby providing scientific evidence for chronic diseases management and functional maintenance in older adults. Methods Utilizing data from the 2018 China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS), this study focused on individuals aged 60 years and older to compare the prevalence of impaired ADL across demographic subgroups. The Apriori algorithm was employed to perform association rules analysis to identify primary comorbidity combinations. Binary Logistic regression models were used to assess the impact of these comorbidity combinations on ADL impairment. Results The study included 10 999 elderly participants, and the prevalence of multiple chronic conditions was 64.91% (7 140/10 999). 3 819 individuals (34.72%) exhibited ADL impairment, 1 149 (10.45%) demonstrated basic activities of daily living (BADL) impairment, and 3 662 (33.29%) showed instrumental activities of daily living (IADL) impairment. Statistically significant differences (P