Study design: Cross-sectional study.
Objectives: The purposes of this study were to assess (i) prevalence of self-reported multiple chronic conditions (MCC) in a population-based cohort of persons with traumatic spinal cord injury (TSCI) and (ii) the association between health-related behaviors and MCC.
Setting: Population-based TSCI cohort.
Methods: Participants included 716 adults with TSCI of at least 1-year duration who were identified through a population-based TSCI surveillance system. Standard questions from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System measured cigarette smoking, binge drinking, planned exercises, and 10 chronic health conditions (CHC), including diabetes, heart attack, angina (or coronary artery disease), stroke, cancer, asthma, kidney disease, arthritis, depressive disorder, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. MCC was defined as having two or more CHCs in this study. Multivariate logistic regression models were used to assess the association between health-related behaviors and MCC.
Results: Almost half (45%) of the study sample had MCC. After controlling for demographic and injury characteristics, participants with smoking history of at least 100 cigarettes were 59% more likely to develop MCC, and those who had planned exercises at least three times a week were 36% less likely to have MCC.
Conclusions: We found MCC prevalence was high among people with TSCI, and MCC was associated with cigarette smoking and planned exercise.