Prevalence of arthritis in older Mexican Americans.
OBJECTIVE
This study examines the prevalence of self-reported physician-diagnosed arthritis and arthritis symptoms and their relationship to functional limitations in Mexican American elderly.


METHODS
We conducted a cross-sectional study using a probability sample of 2,873 non-institutionalized Mexican American men and women aged 65 or older, residing in the southwestern United States. Measures included self-reported physician-diagnosed arthritis, morning pain or stiffness, pain when standing, global health rating, activities of daily living (ADL), instrumental activities of daily living (IADL), depressive symptoms, presence of chronic diseases (diabetes mellitus, hypertension, heart attack, stroke), and body mass index. The Mantel-Haenszel chi-square statistic was used to test differences by arthritis status, and a logistic regression model was used to predict the odds of having arthritis.


RESULTS
The overall prevalence of self-reported physician-diagnosed arthritis in the sample was 40.8 percent, 50.0 percent among women and 28.8 percent among men (P < 0.001). Morning pain or stiffness was reported by 37.7 percent of respondents and pain when standing or walking by 31.9 percent. All comorbid conditions, and both IADL and ADL limitations, were more prevalent in those with arthritis than in those without arthritis. Female sex and several medical conditions were independently associated with self-reported arthritis.


CONCLUSIONS
Self-reported physician-diagnosed arthritis is common among older Mexican Americans. Functional limitation and disability are more prevalent among subjects with arthritis than among those without arthritis.
al Snih
S
S
Department of Internal Medicine, Sealy Center on Aging, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX 77555-0460, USA.
Markides
K S
KS
Ray
L
L
Freeman
J L
JL
Goodwin
J S
JS
D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D017677:Age Distribution; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001168:Arthritis / Q000150:complications / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D015897:Comorbidity; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D017058:Mexican Americans / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D010146:Pain / Q000209:etiology; D011159:Population Surveillance; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D015995:Prevalence; D012307:Risk Factors; D017678:Sex Distribution; D015206:Southwestern United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D016474:Weight-Bearing