TY - JOUR
T1 - The association between language proficiency and outcomes of elderly patients with asthma
AU - Wisnivesky, Juan P.
AU - Krauskopf, Katherine
AU - Wolf, Michael S.
AU - Wilson, Elizabeth A H
AU - Sofianou, Anastasia
AU - Martynenko, Melissa
AU - Halm, Ethan A.
AU - Leventhal, Howard
AU - Federman, Alex D.
N1 - Funding Information:
Funding Sources: Supported by a grant from the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute ( 5R01HL096612-03 ).
PY - 2012/9
Y1 - 2012/9
N2 - Asthma is a growing cause of morbidity for elderly Americans and is highly prevalent among Hispanic people in the United States. The inability to speak English poses a barrier to patientprovider communication. To evaluate associations between limited English proficiency, asthma self-management, and outcomes in elderly Hispanic patients. Elderly patients with asthma receiving primary care at clinics in New York City and Chicago were studied. Of 268 patients in the study, 68% were non-Hispanic, 18% English-proficient Hispanic, and 14% Hispanic with limited English proficiency. Unadjusted analyses showed that Hispanic persons with limited English proficiency had worse asthma control (P = .0007), increased likelihood of inpatient visits (P = .002), and poorer quality of life (P < .0001). We also found significant associations between limited English proficiency and poorer medication adherence (P = .006). Similar results were obtained in multiple regression analyses adjusting for demographics, asthma history, comorbidities, depression, and health literacy. Limited English proficiency was associated with poorer self-management and worse outcomes among elderly patients with asthma. Further understanding of mechanisms underlying this relationship is necessary to develop interventions that improve asthma outcomes in this vulnerable population.
AB - Asthma is a growing cause of morbidity for elderly Americans and is highly prevalent among Hispanic people in the United States. The inability to speak English poses a barrier to patientprovider communication. To evaluate associations between limited English proficiency, asthma self-management, and outcomes in elderly Hispanic patients. Elderly patients with asthma receiving primary care at clinics in New York City and Chicago were studied. Of 268 patients in the study, 68% were non-Hispanic, 18% English-proficient Hispanic, and 14% Hispanic with limited English proficiency. Unadjusted analyses showed that Hispanic persons with limited English proficiency had worse asthma control (P = .0007), increased likelihood of inpatient visits (P = .002), and poorer quality of life (P < .0001). We also found significant associations between limited English proficiency and poorer medication adherence (P = .006). Similar results were obtained in multiple regression analyses adjusting for demographics, asthma history, comorbidities, depression, and health literacy. Limited English proficiency was associated with poorer self-management and worse outcomes among elderly patients with asthma. Further understanding of mechanisms underlying this relationship is necessary to develop interventions that improve asthma outcomes in this vulnerable population.
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U2 - 10.1016/j.anai.2012.06.016
DO - 10.1016/j.anai.2012.06.016
M3 - Article
C2 - 22920072
AN - SCOPUS:84865452682
SN - 1081-1206
VL - 109
SP - 179
EP - 184
JO - Annals of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology
JF - Annals of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology
IS - 3
ER -