Abstract
OBJECTIVES: To determine the effect of asthma on functional limitations of older adults in the United States. DESIGN: Analyses were conducted with data from the Asthma Beliefs and Literacy in the Elderly study, a prospective cohort study of people aged 60 and older with asthma. SETTING: Participants were recruited from urban primary care and pulmonary specialty practices in New York City and Chicago between 2010 and 2012. PARTICIPANTS: Individuals aged 60 and older with asthma (380 women, 72 men, mean age 67.5 ± 6.8 (range 60-98), 40% Latino, 30% black). MEASUREMENTS: Characteristics of participants with and without activity of daily living (ADL) limitations were compared using the chi-square test. Generalized estimating equations were used to model the relationships between poor asthma control (Asthma Control Questionnaire (ACQ) score >1.5) and severity of airway obstruction (forced expiratory volume in 1-second (FEV1 )) and number of ADL limitations. RESULTS: Participants with one or more ADL limitations were more likely to be female (90% vs 81%, P = .02) and Latino (58% vs 32%, P < .001), have less than a high school education (53% vs 27%, P < .001) and an income of $1,350 per month or less (79% vs 46%, P < .001), and be unmarried (78% vs 64%, P = .003). In the adjusted analysis, poorer ACQ scores (odds ratio (OR) = 1.6, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.0-2.4; P = .05) but not severity of airway obstruction (OR = 1.1, 95% CI = 0.6-1.9) was associated with greater ADL limitations. CONCLUSION: Older adults reporting poor asthma control are more likely to have ADL limitations than those with controlled asthma, although one-time spirometry may not adequately identify those at risk of physical impairment from asthma.