Patterns of Multimorbidity in Adults: An Association Rules Analysis Using the Korea Health Panel

Yoonju Lee, Heejin Kim, Hyesun Jeong and Yunhwan Noh
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Yoonju Lee: College of Nursing, Pusan National University, Yangsan 50612, Korea
Heejin Kim: Department of Nursing, The Graduate School, Pusan National University, Yangsan 50612, Korea
Hyesun Jeong: Department of Nursing, The Graduate School, Pusan National University, Yangsan 50612, Korea
Yunhwan Noh: Department of Statistics, The Graduate School, Pusan National University, Busan 46241, Korea

IJERPH, 2020, vol. 17, issue 8, 1-14

Abstract: This study aimed to identify the prevalence and patterns of multimorbidity among Korean adults. A descriptive study design was used. Of 11,232 adults aged 18 and older extracted from the 2014 Korean Health Panel Survey, 7118 had one or more chronic conditions. The chronic conditions code uses the Korean Standard Classification of Diseases. Association rule analysis and network analysis were conducted to identify patterns of multimorbidity among 4922 participants with multimorbidity. The prevalence of multimorbidity in the overall population was 34.8%, with a higher prevalence among women (40.8%) than men (28.6%). Hypertension had the highest prevalence in both men and women. In men, diabetes mellitus and hypertension yielded the highest probability of comorbidity (10.04%). In women, polyarthrosis and hypertension yielded the highest probability of comorbidity (12.51%). The results of the network analysis in four groups divided according to gender and age showed different characteristics for each group. Public health practitioners should adopt an integrated approach to manage multimorbidity rather than an individual disease-specific approach, along with different strategies according to age and gender groups.

Keywords: multimorbidity; pattern; association rules analysis; network analysis (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
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