Prevalence and Risk Factors of Pain Among Older People in Mexico: Evidence From MHAS 2018

Objective To explore the prevalence of pain and its risk factors among older people in Mexico. Methods We conducted a cross‐sectional analysis using data from the 2018 Mexican Health and Aging Study (MHAS), which included 8958 participants aged 60 years and above. Variables including pain, social demographics, and health‐related factors were collected through questionnaire surveys, and a binary logistic regression model was used to identify risk factors associated with pain. Results The prevalence of pain among older people in Mexico was 40.8%. Multivariate regression analysis showed that female gender, obesity, retirement, incapacity or inability to work, hypertension, diabetes, arthritis/rheumatism, heart attack, and cancer history were positively correlated with pain. In contrast, higher levels of education, widowhood, household chores, and exercising more than three times a week are negatively correlated with pain. However, age, smoking, and alcohol consumption did not show any significant correlation to pain. Conclusion The prevalence of pain is relatively high among older people in Mexico. Targeted intervention measures should be taken to improve awareness of the risk factors and the prevention of pain.