| Title: | The association of sex and socioeconomic status with multimorbidity: results from the UK Biobank |
| Journal: | Revue d'Epidémiologie et de Santé Publique |
| Published: | 30 Sep 2025 |
| Pubmed: | https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41033065/ |
| DOI: | https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jeph.2025.203134 |
| URL: | https://dspace.library.uu.nl/handle/1874/467800 |
Publication 19374
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Abstract
INTRODUCTION: Multimorbidity, defined as the coexistence of two or more chronic diseases, is common. It is not well-understood how multimorbidity differs by sex and socioeconomic status.</p>
METHODS: Cross-sectional data from the UK Biobank in 2006-10 were used. Socioeconomic status was determined from area-based deprivation and individual education level. Multimorbidity was defined as having two or more chronic diseases, identified through linked hospital-admission data between 1995 and 2022. Modified Poisson regression was used to estimate age-adjusted prevalence relative risks (RRs) and women-to-men ratio of RRs with 95 % confidence intervals (CIs) for association of socioeconomic status with multimorbidity.</p>
RESULTS: A total of 502,364 individuals (54 % women) were included. Forty two percent of women and 48 % of men had multimorbidity, with the most common disease combination being cancer and hypertension, and hypertension being the most common single condition in both sexes (68 % of men and 58 % of women). The age-adjusted risk of multimorbidity was higher in men than in women (RR, 1.12, 95 % CI, 1.11-1.13). Compared to those in the least deprived areas, the age-adjusted risk of multimorbidity in the most deprived areas was 1.36 (95% CI, 1.33 1.38) in women, and 1.29 (95% CI, 1.27-1.31) in men, with a women-to-men ratio of RRs of 1.05 (95 % CI, 1.02-1.08).</p>
CONCLUSION: Multimorbidity is more common in individuals with lower socioeconomic status, and men have a higher age-adjusted risk than women. The association between area-based deprivation and multimorbidity is stronger in women than men, emphasizing the need for tailored interventions that address both sex and socioeconomic disparities in multimorbidity.</p>
14 Keywords
- Adult
- Aged
- Chronic Disease
- Cross-Sectional Studies
- Female
- Humans
- Male
- Middle Aged
- Multimorbidity
- Prevalence
- Sex Factors
- Social Class
- UK Biobank
- United Kingdom
5 Authors
- Dina Mohamed Youssef
- Katie Harris
- Diederick E Grobbee
- Mark Woodward
- Sanne A E Peters
1 Application
| Application ID | Title |
|---|---|
| 74018 | Sex differences in the determinants and outcomes of multimorbidity clusters and their constituent conditions in the UK Biobank Study |
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