This study investigated associations between chronic medical conditions, activities of daily living (ADL), and health-related quality of life (HRQOL). Our findings suggest that the number of ADL limitations reported by older adults is associated with their HRQOL. Findings from our analyses also suggest that the association between having multiple comorbid conditions and HRQOL is stronger for those with no ADL limitations than those with at least some limitations. These data will aid practitioners in determining the relative importance of chronic medical conditions and ADL limitations on HRQOL and demonstrate how ADL limitations and comorbid conditions may differentially impact HRQOL.
University of Hawai'i at Mānoa, Honolulu, Hawaii (Dr Barile); The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia (Drs Thompson, Zack, and Krahn); Oregon Health & Science University, Institute on Development & Disability, Portland, Oregon (Dr Horner-Johnson); and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Office of Information Products and Data Analytics, Baltimore, Maryland (Dr Haffer).
Correspondence: John P. Barile, Department of Psychology, University of Hawai'i at Mānoa, 2530 Dole Street, Sakamaki Hall C400, Honolulu, HI 96822–2294 (Barile@Hawaii.edu).
The findings and conclusions in this report are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official position of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
The authors do not have any conflicts of interest in presenting this work.
Barile was supported in part by an appointment to the Research Participation Program for the CDC administered by the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education through an agreement between the US Department of Energy and CDC.
The research in this article was funded by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) under Contract Number GS-10F-1066/HHSM-500-2006-00001G.
