Objective  To investigate the prevalence of multiple chronic conditions (MCC) and its influence on activities of daily living (ADL) among residents aged 60 years and above in Henan province and to provide evidences for improving the quality of life of the elderly.

  Methods  With stratified cluster sampling, we recruited 6 014 permanent residents aged 60 years and above in 36 urban districts and 54 rural townships across Henan province; a face-to-face survey was conducted among the residents with a self-designed questionnaire on MCC and ADL during July – September, 2019. Multivariate unconditional logistic regression model was used to analyze the influence of MCC on ADL.

  Results  Of the 5 570 participants with valid information, 1210 (21.72%) were identified as having MCC. Among the 1210 participants with MCC, 754 (62.31%), 242 (20.00%), and 214 (17.69%) suffered from two, three, and four or more chronic diseases, respectively. Impaired ADL was reported by 2 135 (38.33%) of the all participants; of the impaired ADL sufferers, 1 744 (81.69%), 262 (12.27%), and 129 (6.04%) had mild, moderate, and severe ADL impairment. After adjusting for potential confounding factors such as gender, age, education, marital status, residence, living conditions, monthly income per capita, and medical insurance payment mode, the results of unconditional multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that the participants with MCC, in contrast to those without MCC, were at an increased risk of ADL impairment (odds ratio OR = 2.484, 95% confidence interval 95% CI: 1.800 – 3.428); the results also revealed that the MCC sufferers with 4 or more chronic diseases were more likely to have ADL impairment (OR = 1.527, 95% CI: 1.049 – 2.224) compared to the MCC sufferers with only one chronic disease and the participants without chronic disease.

  Conclusion  The prevalence of MCC is relatively low but MCC can increase the risk of ADL impairment among the elderly in Henan province.