Healthy Lifestyles and Chronic Pain with New-Onset Metabolic-Related Multimorbidity among Older Adults — China, 2011–2018

Abstract

What is already known about this topic? Chronic pain has been identified as a risk factor for cardiovascular diseases. Evidence shows that adopting a healthy lifestyle can help reduce the cardiometabolic risks associated with chronic pain. What is added by this report? Results from this cohort study suggest a positive association between chronic pain and the development of new-onset metabolic-related multimorbidity, specifically metabolic multimorbidity and cardiometabolic comorbidity, within middle-aged and older Chinese adults. Furthermore, adopting healthy lifestyles can potentially mitigate or even reverse these associations. What are the implications for public health practice? The results of our study emphasize the importance of promoting healthy lifestyles among older Chinese adults as a preventative measure against the medical burdens and cardiometabolic risks associated with chronic pain.