Objective: This study evaluated the relationship between physical activity (PA) and multimorbidity in community-dwelling older adults.
Data source: A systematic review and meta-analysis in the following databases: Pubmed, Lilacs, Scielo, Web of Science, Scopus, and AgeLine.
Study inclusion and exclusion criteria: It included observational studies investigating the association between physical activity and multimorbidity, with older adults, published until May 2021. Studies with institutionalized individuals or that assessed specific diseases were excluded.
Data extraction: Two reviewers independently extracted the studies based on previous inclusion and exclusion criteria, started by selecting titles, followed by abstracts and full-text reading.
Data synthesis: Meta-analysis results were reported as Odds Ratio (OR) with a 95% confidence interval using R language. The Newcastle Ottawa scale was used to assess the quality of the studies.
Results: Fifteen studies were included in the systematic review, from which 12 reported an inverse association between physical activity and multimorbidity. In the meta-analysis, from over 77 000 older adults, there was an inverse association between physical activity and multimorbidity [OR: .81; 95% CI: .73-.89]. We found significant results only for men in the analysis by sex.
Conclusions: Low levels of physical activity were associated with a higher risk of multimorbidity in older adults. It is expected that public policies will be conducted aimed at the practice of physical activity among older adults.
Keywords: exercise; morbidity; multimorbidity.