Dra. Troncoso-Pantoja, Claudia

Research on morbidity and mortality often emphasizes individual diseases over the cumulative effects of multimorbidity, especially in low- and middle-income countries. This study aimed to analyze the association between multimorbidity and all-cause mortality in a representative sample of the Chilean population. This longitudinal study used data from 3701 subjects aged ≥15 years who participated in the Chilean National Health Survey conducted between 2009 and 2010. We included 16 self-reported highly prevalent morbidities. All-cause mortality data from an 11-year follow-up were collected from the Chilean Civil Registry. The Cox proportional hazard model, adjusted for confounders, determined the association between multimorbidity categories and all-cause mortality. Of the total sample, 24.3% reported no morbidity, while 50.4% two or more. After adjustment, participants with four or more morbidities had a 1.66 times higher mortality risk [95% confidence interval (CI): 1.03–2.67] than those without morbidities. The mortality risk increased by 10% for each additional morbidity [HR: 1.09 (CI: 1.04–1.16)]. Multimorbidity was common in the Chilean population and increased the mortality risk, which greatly challenges the health system to provide an integral and coordinated approach to healthcare.

Objective: To investigate the association between a lifestyle score and all-cause mortality in the Chilean population. Design: Prospective study. Settings: The score was based on seven modifiable behaviours: salt intake, fruit and vegetable intake, alcohol consumption, sleep duration, smoking, physical activity and sedentary behaviours. 1-point was assigned for each healthy recommendation. Points were summed to create an unweighted score from 0 (less healthy) to 7 (healthiest). According to their score, participants were then classified into: less healthy (0–2 points), moderately healthy (3–4 points) and the healthiest (5–7 points). Associations between the categories of lifestyle score and all-cause mortality were investigated using Cox proportional hazard models adjusted for confounders. Nonlinear associations were also investigated. Participants: 2706 participants from the Chilean National Health Survey 2009–2010. Results: After a median follow-up of 10·9 years, 286 (10·6 %) participants died. In the maximally adjusted model, and compared with the healthiest participants, those less healthy had 2·55 (95 % CI 1·75, 3·71) times higher mortality risk due to any cause. Similar trends were identified for the moderately healthy group. Moreover, there was a significant trend towards increasing the mortality risk when increasing unhealthy behaviours (hazard ratio model 3: 1·61 (95 % CI 1·34, 1·94)). There was no evidence of nonlinearity between the lifestyle score and all-cause mortality. Conclusion: Individuals in the less healthy lifestyle category had higher mortality risk than the healthiest group. Therefore, public health strategies should be implemented to promote adherence to a healthy lifestyle across the Chilean population.