Vitality and pain in Mexican American older men and women

The literature suggests that low vitality (low energy, tiredness) and pain are common symptoms reported by older adults. This study examined the prevalence of vitality and bodily pain, and pain as an independent predictor of vitality after controlling for demographic characteristics, muscle strength, lower extremity mobility, and chronic conditions in older Mexican American men and women. A cross-sectional study of a subsample of the Hispanic Established Population for Epidemiologic Study of the Elderly was conducted on 802 Mexican American ages 75-100 years. Bilingual interviewers administered structured questionnaires and physical measures of mobility and upper- and lower-extremity muscle strength. Subscales from the SF-36 Health Survey were used to measure vitality and bodily pain in the last four weeks. Chi square, one-way ANOVA, and multiple linear regression analyses were computed for participants with complete data. Men reported higher vitality, lower pain, greater grip strength, hip abduction and lower extremity mobility, and fewer chronic conditions than did women. Ten percent of men and 13% of women reported low vitality, while 15% of men and 30% of women reported severe pain. Regression analyses revealed pain, lower extremity mobility and health transition as significant predictors of vitality for both groups. Heart failure, hypertension and arthritis were significant predictors for women, while having cataracts was a significant predictor for men. Although pain was an independent predictor, the strongest factor was lower extremity mobility. Further research is needed to determine if improving pain relief and lower extremity strength will increase vitality levels particularly for Mexican American women.