Abstract:

The relationship between multimorbidity and lifestyle has been well documented in literature. Most of what we know about this issue was based on quantitative studies. We believed this qualitative study might allow the exploration of the understanding, beliefs and experiences of the multimorbid persons on this relationship.

In a period of three months in 2016, three focus group discussions were conducted in the family practice clinics of a hospital in western Nigeria.The discussions lasted 60 – 75 minutes and involved 22 adults participants aged between 25 and 73 years.We made use of a discussion guide of open ended questions with relevant probes.Constant comparison method was used for data analysis.

This study showed that multimorbid persons perceived their illness as part of normal aging process, sometimes running in families and associated with lifelong treatment and premature death. These perceptions informed adaptive behavior in relation to lifestyle modification, optimism and self-care tendencies focused on creating a harmony between their identity and the illness experience.

We therefore recommend the adoption of the patient centered approach in the management of multimorbidity to improve quality of care. We advocate further studies on these issues to contribute to the development of evidence based management framework tailored to the realities of people with multimorbidity.

Keywords: Multimorbidity, lifestyle, Qualitative study, Focus group discussion, Constant comparison method.

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