Prevalence and Patterns of Multisystem Morbidity in Elderly Urban Population of a Tier-2 Indian City: A Cross-Sectional Community-Based Study

Abstract

Background: India is experiencing rapid population aging, with a growing concentration of elderly individuals in urban areas. Tier-2 cities, in particular, are expanding quickly but often lack adequately developed geriatric health services. Despite this, community-based evidence on the burden of multisystem morbidity among the urban elderly in these settings continues to be scarce. Objectives: To estimate the prevalence of cardiovascular, respiratory, cognitive, and psychological morbidities and to examine their sociodemographic distribution among community-dwelling elderly individuals in a Tier-2 Indian city. Methods: A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 180 individuals aged 60 years and above, selected using stratified random sampling from urban wards. Data collection included sociodemographic and lifestyle information, physiological assessments (blood pressure, anthropometry, spirometry, and electrocardiography), cognitive screening using the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) and Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), and psychological assessment using the General Health Questionnaire-12 (GHQ-12). Data were analysed using descriptive statistics and appropriate inferential tests. Results: The mean age of participants was 72.4 ± 8.1 years, and 51.7% were female. Hypertension was observed in 70.0% of participants, with 46.7% having uncontrolled blood pressure. The prevalence of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease was 17.1%, cognitive impairment 26.5%, and psychological morbidity (GHQ-12 ≥3) 33.3%. Multimorbidity, defined as the presence of two or more chronic conditions, was present in 58.9% of participants. Increasing age was significantly associated with higher systolic blood pressure and worsening respiratory parameters. Psychological morbidity was more common among females and those belonging to lower socioeconomic strata. Conclusion: A substantial burden of multisystem morbidity and multimorbidity exists among the elderly population in Tier-2 urban settings in India. These findings highlight the need for integrated, accessible, and preventive geriatric health services tailored to rapidly urbanizing non-metropolitan cities.

Keywords: Elderly, Aging, Multimorbidity, Prevalence, Tier-2 City, Urban Health