Prevalence of chronic diseases among the older adults in Iran: Does socioeconomic status matter?

Objectives:  Despite the growing population of the elderly in Iran, there is no clear picture of the prevalence of chronic diseases among them. Accordingly, the present study tries to specify the prevalence of the most important chronic diseases and multimorbidity among the elderly. In addition, the homogeneity of these diseases has been considered among different socio-economic groups. Methods & Materials:  Research data were obtained through a checklist of chronic disease status among the elderly. The sample was selected from the elderly over 60 years old in Tehran in 2019 through multi-stage sampling. The sample size of the study is 1280 persons and the prevalence rate and chi-square tests were used to describe and analyze the data. Results: The results showed that hypertension (40.2%), musculoskeletal disorders (40.2%) and hyperlipidemia (32.4%) had the highest prevalence rate among the elderly in Tehran. The prevalence rate of chronic disease multimorbidity was 79.8, which was higher among men, never married, college-educated, and working-age seniors. Cardiovascular disease, diabetes, hyperlipidemia, and ear diseases have also been found to have different prevalence rates among socioeconomic classes. Conclusions: The prevalence of chronic diseases has varied widely among socioeconomic groups; so the importance of the socio-economic status must be accentuated. Therefore, the pattern of prevalence of some chronic diseases can be influenced by lifestyle. As a result, research and policy-making in this field should be based on the inequalities in socio-economic status.