Higher patient activation is associated with lower odds of functional limitation in older adults with chronic diseases

Objectives: To investigate the association between patient activation and functional limitation among older adults living with multiple chronic conditions. Methods: We performed a secondary analysis of a parent study, which examined the relationship between self-efficacy and both inflammatory biomarkers and frailty. We conducted multivariate logistic regression while controlling for the patients’ sociodemographic variables and comorbidities to examine the association between self-reported functional limitation and patient activation as measured by the Patient Activation Measure (PAM-10). Results: We included 159 participants with a mean age of 82.00 ± 6.27 years. While controlling for the patients’ demographic, socioeconomic status, and comorbidities, we found that functional limitation decreases by 16 % (OR 0.84, 95 % CI: 0.75, 0.94, p = 0.002) for every one unit increase in patient activation score. Conclusion: Higher patient activation scores were associated with decreased odds of functional limitation. Providers may consider the potential value of using behavioral activation strategies to address functional decline.