Propensity score matching analysis of the association between physical activity and multimorbidity in middle-aged and elderly Chinese

In the context of an aging population, older adults increasingly face the challenge of managing multiple chronic conditions simultaneously. This study utilized analytical methods such as propensity score matching (PSM) and multivariate logistic regression, to explore the relationship between physical activity and the number of chronic diseases as well as the risk of developing co-morbidities among middle-aged and elderly Chinese individuals using data from the 2020 China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Survey. The PSM results showed that physical activity decreased the number of chronic diseases in middle-aged and elderly people by 0.050 (p < 0.05). The multivariate logistic regression results the odds ratio (OR) for the risk of multimorbidity in the moderate and high intensity physical activity groups compared to the group with inadequate physical activity were 0.845 (95% CI 0.729–0.980) and 0.847 (95% CI 0.727–0.988), which means that moderate-intensity physical activity is strongly associated with a reduced risk of multimorbidity. Regular physical activity among middle-aged and older adults is associated with a reduction in the number of chronic diseases they suffer from.