The relationship between the number of chronic diseases and preventive behaviors in middle-aged and elderly people in Fuzhou

Objective To explore the relationship between the number of chronic non-communicable diseases (NCDs) and preventive behaviors among middle-aged and elderly individuals in Fuzhou, providing evidence for targeted strategies evidence in chronic disease prevention and control.

Methods This study used a cross-sectional design. Among the 4 453 participants who met the inclusion and exclusion criteria and underwent the survey from November to December 2019, 2 095 individuals aged 45 years and above were selected for statistical analysis. The contents of the survey included sociodemographic characteristics, health beliefs, and preventive behaviors. Multiple linear regression was performed to test the relationship between the number of NCDs and preventive behaviors.

Results 44.0% (922/2 095) of the participants did not have NCDs, 23.2% (487/2 095) had one NCD, 16.8% (352/2 095) had two NCDs, and 15.9% (334/2 095) had three or more NCDs. The overall score of preventive behaviors was 43.85±5.89. Univariate analyses revealed that factors such as gender, age, employment status, residential area, number of NCDs, and health belief scores were significantly correlated to preventive behavior scores (all P＜0.05).The preventive behavior scores of individuals with three or more chronic diseases (42.92±6.21) were lower than those without chronic diseases (44.23±5.71) and those with one chronic disease (44.12±5.82) (all P＜0.05). Specific conditions including stroke, hyperlipidemia, cancers, digestive system, musculoskeletal system and genitourinary system diseases also impacted preventive behavior scores (all P＜0.05). After adjusting for sociodemographic characteristics, multiple linear regression showed that individuals with two NCDs (β=−0.070, P=0.001) and those with three or more NCDs (β=−0.127, P＜0.001) exhibited lower preventive behaviors scores compared to those without NCDs. The trend test indicated that the number of NCDs increased with the preventive behavior score decreased (P＜0.001).

Conclusions The number of NCDs affects the preventive behavior of middle-aged and elderly people. Compared with those who have no NCDs, middle-aged and elderly people with two or more NCDs have poorer preventive behavior.