FUNCTION AND MEDICAL COMORBIDITY IN SOUTH TEXAS NURSING-HOME RESIDENTS - VARIATIONS BY ETHNIC-GROUP

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate differences in functional status and burdens of medical conditions in Mexican American and non-Hispanic white nursing home residents.DESIGN AND SETTING: Cross-sectional survey of 17 nursi ng homes in south Texas.PARTICIPANTS: A total of 617 older nursing hom e residents, of whom 366 were Mexican American and 251 were non-Hispan ic white. MEASURES: Activities of Daily Living (ADL) status abstracted from standard nurses notes and Burden of Disease abstracted from medi cal records. RESULTS: Mexican American residents had greater numbers o f ADL dependencies and poorer overall ADL scores than non-Hispanic whi te residents. This poor functioning was not explained by age, gender, or marital or educational status. The average number of medical condit ions was greater, and specific conditions, such as cerebrovascular dis ease, recent acute infections, diabetes, hypertension, and anemia, wer e more common in Mexican American residents compared with non-Hispanic white residents. In models relating function with medical conditions and ethnic group, ADL scores and dependencies were significantly relat ed to bowel and bladder incontinence, cerebrovascular disease, dementi a, recent infections, and skin decubiti, but not to ethnic group. CONC LUSION: Mexican American nursing home residents are more functionally dependent than non-Hispanic white residents. The difference in functio n is explained by a greater burden of medical conditions in the Mexica n American residents.