title: Evidence of reduced health-related quality of life in older Mexican Americans with arthritis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To examine the association between self-reported physician-diagnosed arthritis and health-related quality of life among older Mexican Americans.
  
  
  METHODS
  Cross-sectional study involving population-based survey.
  
  
  METHODS
  Hispanic Established Population for the Epidemiologic Study of the Elderly (EPESE) survey conducted in Texas, Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, and California.
  
  
  METHODS
  839 non-institutionalized Mexican American older adults (> or = 75 years) participating in Hispanic EPESE.
  
  
  METHODS
  Self-reported physician-diagnosed arthritis; sociodemographic variables; medical conditions; body mass index; and the physical and mental composite scales from the Medical Outcomes Study Short Form 36 Health Survey (SF-36).
  
  
  RESULTS
  518 (62%) of the subjects reported physician-diagnosed arthritis. Participants with arthritis had significantly lower scores on the physical composite scale (PCS) (mean = 35.3, SD = 11.3) and the mental composite scale (MCS) (mean = 53.5, SD = 10.8) of the SF-36 compared to persons without arthritis (PCS mean = 42.9, SD = 10.9; MCS mean = 57.0, SD = 8.8). Multiple regression showed that arthritis was associated with decreased PCS and MCS (model estimates of -5.74 [SE = .83]; and -3.16 [SE = .64]), respectively, after controlling for sociodemographic and clinical covariates.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Arthritis is a highly prevalent medical condition in Mexican American older adults. Our findings suggest that deficits in both physical health and mental function contribute to reduced quality-of-life in this population.
authors: Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
authors: Saad M
authors: SM
authors: Bindawas
authors: Soham Al
authors: SA
authors: Snih
authors: James J
authors: JJ
authors: Grady
authors: Elizabeth J
authors: EJ
authors: Protas
authors: James E
authors: JE
authors: Graham
authors: Kyriakos S
authors: KS
authors: Markides
authors: Kenneth J
authors: KJ
authors: Ottenbacher
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001168:Arthritis / Q000150:complications / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000523:psychology; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D017058:Mexican Americans; D011788:Quality of Life; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors