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Racial and Sex Differences in Associations Between Activities of Daily Living and Cognition in Community‐Dwelling Older Adults
Author(s) -
Garrett Stephanie L.,
Sawyer Patricia,
Kennedy Richard E.,
McGuire Dawn,
Simon Roger P.,
Strothers Harry S.,
Allman Richard M.
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
journal of the american geriatrics society
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.992
H-Index - 232
eISSN - 1532-5415
pISSN - 0002-8614
DOI - 10.1111/jgs.12543
Subject(s) - activities of daily living , medicine , gerontology , dementia , cognition , mini–mental state examination , african american , ethnic group , association (psychology) , demography , cognitive impairment , psychology , physical therapy , psychiatry , ethnology , disease , pathology , sociology , anthropology , psychotherapist , history
Objectives To examine the association between function measured according to activities of daily living ( ADL s), instrumental activ1ities of daily living ( IADL s), and cognition assessed according to Mini‐Mental State Examination ( MMSE ) scores of older African‐American and non‐Hispanic white community‐dwelling men and women. Design Cross‐sectional study assessing associations between self‐reported ADL and IADL difficulty and MMSE scores for race‐ and sex‐specific groups. Setting Homes of community‐dwelling older adults. Participants A random sample of 974 African‐American and non‐Hispanic white Medicare beneficiaries aged 65 and older living in west‐central Alabama and participating in the University of Alabama at Birmingham Study of Aging, excluding those with reported diagnoses of dementia or with missing data. Measurements Function, based on self‐reported difficulty in performing ADL s and IADL s, and cognition, using the MMSE . Multivariable linear regression models were used to test the association between function and cognition in race‐ and sex‐specific groups after adjusting for covariates. Results Mini‐Mental State Examination scores were modestly correlated with ADL and IADL difficulty in all four race‐ and sex‐specific groups, with Pearson correlation coefficients ranging from −0.189 for non‐Hispanic white women to −0.429 for African‐American men. Correlations between MMSE and ADL or IADL difficulty in any of the race‐ and sex‐specific groups were no longer significant after controlling for sociodemographic factors and comorbidities. Conclusion Mini‐Mental State Examination was not significantly associated with functional difficulty in older African‐American and non‐Hispanic white men and women after adjusting for sociodemographic factors and comorbidities, suggesting a mediating role in the relationship between cognition and function.