Pain, obesity, and physical function in Mexican American older adults during 20 years of follow-up

Introduction Pain remains largely undertreated in older adults irrespective of health care setting. Mexican American adults in the United States have a high age-adjusted prevalence of obesity. However, the association of pain and obesity with physical function is understudied in this population. Objective To examine the association of co-occurring pain and obesity with physical function over 20 years of follow-up in a cohort of older Mexican Americans who scored >= 7 (moderate to high) in the Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB) test and were nondisabled at baseline. Design Longitudinal population-based study. Setting Community-dwelling older adults from Southwestern United States. Participants Mexican American adults age 65 years and older. Interventions Not Applicable. Main Outcome Measures Physical function was assessed with the SPPB test (standing balance, timed 8-ft walk, and five repeated timed chair stands). Participants at baseline were divided into four groups: no pain-no obesity (n = 869), obesity only (n = 282), pain only (n = 216), and pain-obesity (n = 159). Generalized Estimating Equation models were used to estimate the odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) of lower performance in physical function over 20 years as a function of pain-obesity grouping. Results Participants with pain only (OR = 1.61, 95% CI = 1.34-1.95) and with co-occurring pain and obesity (OR = 2.32, 95% CI = 1.83-2.95) had significantly greater odds of physical function impairment over those with no pain-no obesity or obesity only, after controlling for all covariates. Conclusion Older Mexican American adults were at high risk for physical function impairment over time if they had pain or co-occurring pain and obesity. Early assessment and proper pain management as well as maintaining a healthy weight may reduce declines in physical function in older Mexican American adults.