An analysis of socioeconomic factors on multiple chronic conditions and its economic burden: evidence from the National Health Service Survey in Yunnan Province, China

BackgroundThe economic burden of multiple chronic conditions (MCCs) and its socio-economic influencing factors have widely raised public concerns. However, there are few large population-based studies on these problems in China. Our study aims at determining the economic burden of MCCs and associated factors specific to multimorbidity among middle-aged and older individuals. MethodsAs our study population, we extracted all 11,304 participants over 35 years old from the 2018 National Health Service Survey (NHSS) in Yunnan. Economic burden and socio-demographic characteristics were analyzed with descriptive statistics. Chi-square test and generalized estimating equations (GEE) regression models were used to identify influencing factors. ResultsThe prevalence of chronic diseases was 35.93% in 11,304 participants and the prevalence of MCCs increased with age, was 10.12%. Residents who lived in rural areas were more likely to report MCCs than those who lived in urban areas (adjusted OR = 1.347, 97.5% CI: 1.116-1.626). Ethnic minority groups were less likely to report MCCs than those of Han (OR = 0.752, 97.5% CI: 0.601-0.942). Overweight or obese people were more likely to report MCCs than people with normal weight (OR = 1.317, 97.5% CI: 1.099-1.579). The per capita expenses of 2 weeks' illness, per capita hospitalization expenses, annual household income, annual household expenses, and annual household medical expenses of MCCs were yen 292.90 (+/- 1427.80), yen 4804.22 (+/- 11851.63), yen 51064.77 (+/- 52158.76), yen 41933.50 (+/- 39940.02) and yen 11724.94 (+/- 11642.74), respectively. The per capita expenses of 2 weeks' illness, per capita hospitalization expenses, annual household income, annual household cost, and annual household medical expenses of hypertensive co-diabetic patients were more compared to those with other three comorbidity modes. ConclusionThe prevalence of MCCs was relatively high among middle-aged and older individuals in Yunnan, China, which bought a heavy economic burden. This encourages policy makers and health providers to pay more attention to the behavioral/lifestyle factors, that contribute to multimorbidity to a great extent. Furthermore, health promotion and education in terms of MCCs need to be prioritized in Yunnan.