Ethnic differences in self-reported functional status in the rural south: The Johnston county osteoarthritis project

Objective. We examined ethnic differences in self-reported functional status in a rural, population-based sample in North Carolina. Methods. Data from 1,197 African-American and Caucasian participants, aged 45 and older, in the Johnston County Osteoarthritis Project were analyzed using multiple logistic regression to examine ethnic differences in difficulty performing tasks of the Health Assessment Questionnaire (HAQ) and in risk factor profiles associated with difficulty. Results. Forty-three percent reported difficulty in one or more HAQ tasks. African-Americans were more likely than Caucasians to report difficulty performing 3 tasks (P < 0.04); these differences were minimal after adjustment for confounders. For some tasks, risk factor profiles included body mass index in African-Americans only, and age and female gender more often in Caucasians, Low educational attainment was part of the risk factor profile for walking in African-Americans. Conclusions. Differences in proportions of African-Americans and Caucasians reporting difficulty in performance of HAQ tasks were minimal, but risk factor profiles for difficulty appeared to vary by ethnicity.