Rachel O’Conor|Michael S. Wolf|Samuel G. Smith|Melissa Martynenko|Daniel P. Vicencio|Mary Sano|Juan P. Wisnivesky|Alex D. Federman
Health Literacy, Cognitive Function, Proper Use, and Adherence to Inhaled Asthma Controller Medications Among Older Adults With Asthma
Northwestern University|Northwestern University|Northwestern University|Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai|Mercy Hospital and Medical Center|James J. Peters VA Medical Center|Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai|Mercy Hospital and Medical Center|Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
h3backgroundh3 sought investigate degree cognitive skills explain associations health literacy asthmarelated medication use among older adults asthma h3methodsh3 patients aged 60 years receiving care eight outpatient clinics primary care geriatrics pulmonology allergy immunology new york new york chicago illinois recruited participate structured inperson interviews part asthma beliefs literacy elderly able study n 425 behaviors related medication use investigated including adherence prescribed regimens metereddose inhaler mdi technique dry powder inhaler dpi technique health literacy measured using short test functional health literacy adults cognitive function assessed terms fluid working memory processing speed executive function crystallized verbal ability h3resultsh3 mean age participants 68 years 40 hispanic 30 nonhispanic black onethird 38 adherent controller medication 53 demonstrated proper dpi technique 38 demonstrated correct mdi technique multivariable analyses limited literacy associated poorer adherence controller medication 23 95 ci 129408 incorrect dpi 351 95 ci 181683 mdi 164 95 ci 101265 techniques fluid crystallized abilities independently associated medication behaviors however fluid abilities added model literacy associations reduced h3conclusionsh3 among older patients asthma interventions promote proper medication use simplify tasks patient roles overcome cognitive load suboptimal performance selfcare