Temporal Trend of Multimorbidity of Noncommunicable Diseases among Brazilian Adults, 2006-2021

We aimed to identify the temporal trend of multimorbidity of noncommunicable disease (NCDs) among Brazilian adults (n = 784,479) over a 16-year period of time. This is a time series of cross-sectional studies based on data from the Surveillance System of Risk and Protective Factors for Chronic Diseases by Telephone Survey (Vigitel) from 2006 to 2021. The presence of multimorbidity was assessed from the co-occurrence of (1) obesity and diabetes; (2) obesity and hypertension; and (3) obesity and diabetes and/or hypertension. Linear regression models (Prais-Winsten) were used to identify significant trends for the complete period (2006-2021) and the most recent quinquennium (2017-2021). Multimorbidity of obesity and diabetes and/or hypertension increased in the complete period (5.5% to 9.6%; 0.22 pp/year) and the most recent period (8.3% to 9.6%; 0.40 pp/year) studied. The highest increase occurred especially among men, older adults, and those with fewer years of education. Additionally, there was a high prevalence and an intense increase in multimorbidity among adults with poor self-rated health. These results reinforce the need for expanding and strengthening public health actions focused on individuals with multimorbidity especially with obesity.