Physical function and health-related quality-of-life in a population-based sample.
BACKGROUND. It is of interest to understand whether impaired physical function is associated with health-related quality-of-life (HRQOL). We examined upper and lower body physical function and its relationship with two domains of HRQOL among men. METHODS. We conducted a population-based observational study of musculoskeletal health among Boston, MA residents, the Boston Area Community Health/Bone Survey. Participants were 1219 randomly-selected Black, Hispanic, and White males (30-79 years). Upper body function was measured using hand grip strength, while lower body function was measured by combining a timed walk and a chair stand test. HRQOL was measured using the physical (PCS-12) and mental health (MCS-12) component scores of the SF-12. Multivariate linear regression models were used to estimate the association between poor function and HRQOL. RESULTS. There was a significant association of poor upper body physical function with the MCS-12 (β coefficient: -4.12, p = 0.003) but not the PCS-12 (β coefficient: 0.79, p = 0.30) compared to those without poor function. Those with poor lower body physical function had significantly lower PCS-12 scores (β: -2.95, p = 0.007), compared to those without poor function, but an association was not observed for MCS-12 scores. CONCLUSIONS. Domains of physical function were not consistently related to domains of HRQOL.
Hall
Susan A
SA
New England Research Institutes, Watertown, MA 02472, USA.
Chiu
Gretchen R
GR
Williams
Rachel E
RE
Clark
Richard V
RV
Araujo
Andre B
AB
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001900:Boston / Q000453:epidemiology; D016330:Frail Elderly / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D035002:Lower Extremity / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008297:Male; D008603:Mental Health / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008875:Middle Aged; D053580:Muscle Strength / Q000502:physiology; D011788:Quality of Life; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D034941:Upper Extremity / Q000503:physiopathology*