Mixed
Obesity is a significant independent predictor of multimorbidity (two or more chronic non-communicable diseases), increasing the likelihood by 1.87 times compared to normal-weight individuals, even after adjusting for socioeconomic and demographic factors.
Maintaining a healthy weight is a critical strategy for preventing the accumulation of multiple chronic diseases, such as hypertension and diabetes. In this population, obesity nearly doubles the risk of having two or more conditions compared to normal weight. Public health interventions should prioritize weight management and access to care for obese individuals to reduce the overall burden of disease.
BMI was also a significant predictor: obese individuals had a 1.87 times higher likelihood (95% CI, 1.09–3.21) of reporting two or more NCDs compared to those with normal weight (Table 3).
Why this rating
Observational cohort study with self-reported data; multivariate analysis controls for confounders but relies on self-reporting.
Source
Self-Reported Prevalence of Chronic Non-Communicable Diseases Concerning Socioeconomic and Educational Factors: Analysis of the PURE-Ecuador Cohort
Camilo Félix et al. · Global Heart · 2025
DOI 10.5334/gh.1416
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