Factors associated with patient activation in an older adult population with functional difficulties

- Factors associated with patient activation were examined in older adults.
- Difficulties with ADLs and IADLs were associated with lower patient activation.
- Symptoms of depression were associated with lower patient activation.
- No association was found between traditional social determinants and patient activation.
- Understanding patient activation may help design effective interventions.

ObjectivePatient activation, the patient's knowledge, skill, and confidence to manage his or her health, is an important indicator of future health and use of health care resources. Understanding factors associated with patient activation in an older population with functional difficulties may inform care in this population. This study aimed to determine whether patient activation is associated with depression, chronic conditions, family support, difficulties with activities of daily living (ADLs) and instrumental activities of daily living (IADLs), hospitalizations, education, and financial strain.Methods(N = 277), We administered surveys measuring patient activation, financial strain, depressive symptoms, family support, and chronic conditions to an older adult population. We tested association through multivariate linear regressions controlling for race, sex, and age.ResultsPatient activation is significantly (p < 0.05), positively associated with family support and self-rated overall health, and significantly (p < 0.05), negatively associated with depressive symptoms and difficulties with ADLs and IADLs. We found no association between patient activation and financial stress, hospitalizations, and education.ConclusionsOlder age, depressive symptoms, and difficulties with ADLs and IADLs were associated with decreased patient activation.Practice implicationsDeveloping interventions tailored to older adults' level of patient activation has the potential to improve outcomes for this population.