Participation in muscle-strengthening activities as an alternative method for the prevention of multimorbidity

Objective. Participating in muscle-strengthening activities (MSA) has been shown to reduce the risks associated with many individual chronic diseases; however, the impact of MSA on multimorbidity remains unexplored. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to determine the association between MSA and multimorbidity. Methods. Data from the 2003-2006 NHANES were used including 4587 adults (>= 20 years old). Participation in MSA was defined as self-reported involvement within the last 30 days. Multimorbidity was deemed as having >= 2 of the 14 chronic diseases. Results. After adjustments (including accelerometry-assessed physical activity), individuals participating in MSA had a 26% reduced odds of having multimorbidity (OR = 0.74; 95% CI: 0.62-0.88; p = 0.001) and each 2 day/week increase in MSA was associated with an 8% reduced odds of being multimorbid (OR = 0.92; 95% CI: 0.84-1.00; p = 0.05). Conclusion. Independent of accelerometry-assessed physical activity, the participation in MSA may reduce the odds of being multimorbid, with evidence of a dose-response relationship. (C) 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.