Physical Activity For Multimorbidity Prevention And Management: A Systematic Review of Longitudinal Prospective Studies
Abstract Background: The objective of this study was to determine whether physical activity can be used in the prevention and management of multimorbidity.Methods: A systematic review was carried out using Pubmed, Web of Science, EMBASE, and Scopus databases to find experimental and prospective cohort studies that investigated the relationship between physical activity and prevention and management of multimorbidity. Participants consisted of general population, non-institutionalised adults aged 18 or more. Screening, data extraction, and risk of bias assessment were conducted by two independent reviewers.Results: From a total of 1,724 studies identified, eight prospective cohort studies and one randomised control trial were included in the analysis. Four out of nine studies found evidence that higher levels of physical activity reduced the risk of multimorbidity. Three of four studies found evidence that physical activity reduces the risk of developing or worsening multimorbidity within subgroups with chronic conditions at the baseline.Conclusion: The current evidence base indicates that it is unclear whether healthy individuals are more likely to develop multimorbidity if they are less physically active. However, it seems more likely for people to develop or worsen multimorbidity when they have one or any number of conditions at baseline if they are less physically active.