Preventing Chronic Disease | Multiple Chronic Conditions and Limitations in Activities of Daily Living in a Community-Based Sample of Older Adults in New York City, 2009 - CDC

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Preventing Chronic Disease | Multiple Chronic Conditions and Limitations in Activities of Daily Living in a Community-Based Sample of Older Adults in New York City, 2009 - CDC

Multiple Chronic Conditions and Limitations in Activities of Daily Living in a Community-Based Sample of Older Adults in New York City, 2009

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• Abstract
• Introduction
• Methods
• Results
• Discussion
• Acknowledgments
• Author Information
• References
• Tables

Nancy L. Ralph, MPH; Thelma J. Mielenz, PhD, MS; Hilary Parton, MPH; Anne-Marie Flatley; Lorna E. Thorpe, PhD, MPH

Suggested citation for this article: Ralph NL, Mielenz TJ, Parton H, Flatley A, Thorpe LE. Multiple Chronic Conditions and Limitations in Activities of Daily Living in a Community-Based Sample of Older Adults in New York City, 2009. Prev Chronic Dis 2013;10:130159. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5888/pcd10.130159.

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Abstract

Introduction
Nationally, 60% to 75% of older adults have multiple (2 or more) chronic conditions (MCCs), and the burden is even higher among low-income, racial/ethnic minority populations. MCCs limit activities of daily living (ADLs), yet this association is not well characterized outside of clinical populations. We examined the association of MCCs with ADLs in a racially/ethnically diverse population of low-income older adults living in New York City public housing.
Methods
A representative sample of 1,036 New York City Housing Authority residents aged 65 or older completed a telephone survey in June 2009. We examined the association of up to 5 chronic conditions with basic ADL (BADL) limitations, adjusting for potential confounders by using logistic regression.
Results
Of respondents, 28.7% had at least 1 BADL limitation; 92.9% had at least 1 chronic condition, and 79.0% had MCCs. We observed a graded association between at least 1 BADL limitation and number of chronic conditions (using 0 or 1 condition as the reference group): adjusted odds ratio (AOR) for 3 conditions was 2.2 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.3–3.9); AOR for 4 conditions, 4.3 (95% CI, 2.5–7.6); and AOR for 5 conditions, 9.2 (95% CI, 4.3–19.5).
Conclusion
Prevalence of BADL limitations is high among low-income older adults and increases with number of chronic conditions. Initiating prevention of additional conditions and treating disease constellations earlier to decrease BADL limitations may improve aging outcomes in this population.

Author Information

Corresponding Author: Nancy L. Ralph, MPH, New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, Gotham Center, CN# 34A, 42–09 28th St, 10th Floor, Queens, New York 11101-4132. Telephone: 347-396-4494. E-mail: nlralph@gmail.com.
Author Affiliations: Thelma J. Mielenz, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, New York, New York; Hilary Parton, New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, Long Island City, New York; Anne-Marie Flatley, New York City Housing Authority, New York, New York; Lorna E. Thorpe, City University of New York School of Public Health at Hunter College, New York, New York.

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