Abstract P515: Multimorbidity in Rural Alabama: Rural Heart and Lung Study

Background: Multimorbidity, defined as the co-occurrence of two or more chronic conditions, is highly prevalent and associated with adverse clinical outcomes. Yet, there are limited data on the most prevalent chronic conditions and overall multimorbidity in the rural Southern in US. We described the prevalence of chronic conditions, risk factors, and overall burden of multimorbidity by race and sex in participants of the Risk Underlying Rural Areas Longitudinal (RURAL) Study. Methods: Our sample included 942 RURAL study participants from two counties in Alabama. Questionnaires were administered at the mobile examination unit and through a smartphone-based application to collect information on eight chronic conditions and three risk factors at baseline. Differences in the prevalence of chronic conditions by self-reported race and sex were examined. Results: The mean age of the RURAL Study sub-cohort was 49 years, 70% were women, 80% were Black individuals and 46% had a high school education or more. Overall, the most common chronic conditions among Black participants were hypertension, diabetes, and asthma (82%, 29%, and 17%, respectively). Alcohol and marijuana use (78% and 24%, respectively) were the most common risk factors. Similar patterns of chronic conditions and risk factors were found in White people and, in men vs. women. Overall, multimorbidity was present in 47% of the participants, while a higher proportion of Black individuals had multimorbidity (50%) as compared to White people (38%). Furthermore, in regression analyses adjusting for age, Black participants had twice the odds of presenting with multimorbidity as compared to their White counterparts. Conclusions: Multimorbidity was highly prevalent in RURAL Study participants in Alabama, especially in Black individuals. Our findings emphasize the challenge of caring for underserved populations residing in rural areas and highlight the importance of implementing strategies to reduce barriers that impede access to healthcare, especially in the rural Southeast.