Sex, Nativity, and Disability in Older Mexican Americans

Abstract

Background/Objectives Although older Mexican Americans are a rapidly growing segment of the U.S population, with high rates of disability, there is presently little research examining nativity and sex differences in activities of daily living (ADL) and mobility limitations in older Mexican Americans compared to general studies of the older population. This study examined the effect of nativity and sex on ADL and mobility limitations in older Mexican Americans. Design, Setting, Participants, Measurements 2,069 non-institutionalized Mexican American aged 75 years and older from the Hispanic Established Population for the Epidemiological Study of the Elderly (Hispanic EPESE) (2004-2005). Socio-demographics, self-reported medical conditions (arthritis, cancer, diabetes, stroke, heart attack, and hip fracture), ADLs, and gross mobility function were obtained. Results Out of 2069, 56.3% were US-born and 43.7% were Mexico-born. The prevalence of ADL and mobility limitation in both US-born and Mexico-born was 32.9% vs. 33.9% and 56.6% vs. 55.6%, respectively. Compared to US-born subjects, Mexico-born tend to report less ADL limitation (OR=0.79; CI: 0.59- 1.05) after controlling for socio-demographic variables and medical conditions. Similarly, they were less likely to report mobility limitation (OR=0.64; CI: 0.48- 0.86) after controlling for all covariates. There was a significant interaction effect between nativity and sex (OR=0.42; CI=0.24-0.74) on ADL limitation suggesting that Mexico-born men were less disabled than US-born while the opposite was true for women. No significant interaction between nativity and sex was found for mobility limitation. Conclusion We found that Mexico-born men were less disabled than US-born counterparts. However, Mexico-born women were more likely to report disability than Mexico-born men.

Prevalence and Trends in Morbidity and Disability Among Older Mexican Americans in the Southwestern United States, 1993–2013

“…Our results for ADL disability are consistent with previous findings that show a significant interaction effect between gender and nativity among Mexican Americans aged 75 years and older, with foreign-born males less likely to report any ADL disability relative to their U.S.-born counterparts (Hayward et al, 2014; Nam et al, 2015). However, this finding contradicts results from Melvin et al (2014), which document a foreign-born male disadvantage in ADL disability in older age-groups (75–84 and 85+).…”

“…The models were fit to males and females separately to account for well-known gender differences in the age patterns of disability. Prior research has found a complex interplay between gender and nativity among the U.S. Mexican-origin population (Angel et al, 2001, 2014; Garcia et al, 2015; Nam, Al Shih, & Markides, 2015). Mexican-origin women live longer than men and have a greater opportunity to experience health problems (Angel et al, 2014).…”

“…Nam, Al Shih, and Markides (2015) examined the effect of gender and nativity on ADL disability and mobility limitation in Mexican Americans aged 75 years and over. They found a significant interaction effect between gender and nativity on ADL disability.…”

Lower body function as a predictor of mortality over 13 years of follow up: Findings from Hispanic Established Population for the Epidemiological Study of the Elderly

“…21 Thus, these findings on significant predictors of mortality can assist medical researchers, clinicians and policymakers in long-term planning to help older Mexican Americans remain healthy and free of disability, age successfully, and enjoy better quality of life. 21 The present study was subject to several limitations. First, it did not examine survival effects.…”

“…Furthermore, in contemplating preventive medicine, determining long‐term mortality risk factors could help adults live longer and healthier lives even from late middle age. As compared with the general population, Mexican Americans are living longer (a life expectancy of 81.6 years) than white (79.1 years) and black (75.5 years) Americans, but older Mexican Americans are experiencing high rates of severe obesity, diabetes and disability . Thus, these findings on significant predictors of mortality can assist medical researchers, clinicians and policymakers in long‐term planning to help older Mexican Americans remain healthy and free of disability, age successfully, and enjoy better quality of life …”