Sex, Nativity, and Disability in Older Mexican Americans.

Sex, Nativity, and Disability in Older Mexican Americans.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26613826

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jgs.13827/abstract

Nam S1, Al Snih S2,3,4, Markides KS4,5.

• 1Department of Health Administration, Division of Applied Health Sciences, Pfeiffer University, Morrisville, North Carolina.
• 2Division of Rehabilitation Sciences, School of Health Professions, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas.
• 3Division of Geriatrics, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas.
• 4Sealy Center on Aging, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas.
• 5Department of Preventive Medicine and Community Health, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas.

Abstract

OBJECTIVES:

To examine the effect of nativity and sex on activities of daily living (ADLs) and mobility limitations in older Mexican Americans.

DESIGN:

Cross-sectional.

SETTING:

Hispanic Established Population for the Epidemiological Study of the Elderly (Hispanic EPESE) (2004-05).

PARTICIPANTS:

Noninstitutionalized Mexican Americans aged 75 and older (N = 2,069; 56.3% U.S. born, 43.7% Mexican born).

MEASUREMENTS:

Sociodemographic characteristics, self-reported medical conditions (arthritis, cancer, diabetes mellitus, stroke, heart attack, hip fracture), ADLs, and gross mobility function.

RESULTS:

The prevalence of ADL limitation was 32.9% in U.S.-born participants and 33.9% in Mexican-born participants of mobility limitation was 56.6% in U.S.-born participants and 55.6% in Mexican-born participants. Mexican-born participants tended to report less ADL limitation (odds ratio (OR) = 0.79, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.59-1.05)) after controlling for sociodemographic variables and medical conditions. They were also less likely to report mobility limitation (OR = 0.64, 95% CI = 0.48-0.86) after controlling for all covariates. There was a significant effect of the interaction between nativity and sex (OR = 0.42, 95% CI = 0.24-0.74) on ADL limitation, suggesting that Mexican-born men were less disabled than U.S.-born men, whereas the opposite was true for women. No significant interaction between nativity and sex was found for mobility limitation.

CONCLUSION:

Mexican-born men were less disabled than their U.S.-born counterparts, and Mexican-born women were more likely to report disability than Mexican-born men.

© 2015, Copyright the Authors Journal compilation © 2015, The American Geriatrics Society.

KEYWORDS:

ADL ; Mexican born; U.S. born; mobility limitation; nativity; older Mexican Americans; sex

PMID: 26613826 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

How to Cite

Nam, S., Al Snih, S. and Markides, K. S. (2015), Sex, Nativity, and Disability in Older Mexican Americans. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society. doi: 10.1111/jgs.13827