This study investigates the association between early-life risk factors and the prevalence of multimorbidity among elderly individuals in India, using data from the LASI Wave-1. The study employs a life-course approach to explore how childhood financial conditions, health status, and educational disruptions impact morbidity in later life. Multinomial logistic regression models were used to analyze the risk of multimorbidity among older adults. Descriptive analysis and multinomial logistic regression have been done. The results show that single morbidity and multi morbidity significantly increase with age. The risk of multi morbidity was nearly 3.08 times higher in people aged 75 or above than aged 45 to 54. Uneducated people had 0.89 times less chance of having multi morbidity than their counterparts. Fair health during childhood had significantly 1.151 times more chance to had multi morbidity than people who had good health during childhood. The results reveal that females, urban residents, older individuals who are lonely, have lower income, have lower level of physical activity are at a higher risk of experiencing multimorbidity. Moreover, adverse childhood conditions, such as missed schooling and poor health, significantly increase the likelihood of developing multimorbidity. Financial disadvantages during early life also play a critical role. This research underscores the importance of addressing early-life inequalities to mitigate the burden of multimorbidity in aging populations. Special attention is required to enhance older adults' quality of life by engaging their social networks and facilitating early disease diagnosis, with necessary interventions supported by governmental policies.

Authors:
Sarika Rai, International Institute for Population Sciences, India
Abhishek Gupta, International Institute for Population Sciences, India

About the Presenter(s)
I am Sarika Rai, a Ph.D. scholar at the International Institute for Population Sciences (IIPS), Mumbai, India. My doctoral research focuses on the “Intersection of Ageing and Digital Technology”.

Connect on Linkedin
https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarikaraiiips/

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