Factors associated with physical and psychological wellness of American adults with asthma

• Published in: The Journal of asthma 2024-10, p.1-10
• Main Authors: Axon, David R, Eckert, Becka
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• ISSN: 0277-0903; 1532-4303; 1532-4303
• DOI: 10.1080/02770903.2024.2412311

The study objective was to investigate the factors associated with the physical and psychological wellness of United States (US) adults with asthma. This cross-sectional analysis used a sample of 2329 US adults with asthma in the 2021 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey data. A logistic regression model investigated the association of the following factors and the dependent variables (physical wellness and psychological wellness): age, sex, race, ethnicity, education, employment, healthcare provision, marriage, income, regular physical activity, current smoker, pain, and limitations. Nationally representative estimates were produced through a weighted analysis. The data structure was maintained using cluster and strata variables. The alpha limit was 0.05. Factors associated with higher odds of reporting good physical wellness included: private (versus no) healthcare provision (odds ratio [OR] = 2.63, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.10-6.26), good (versus poor) psychological wellness (OR = 6.83, 95% CI = 4.35-10.72), regular (versus no regular) physical activity (OR = 2.18, 95% CI = 1.42-3.34), little/moderate (versus quite a bit/extreme) pain (OR = 3.51, 95% CI = 2.38-5.15) and no (versus any) limitation (OR = 3.73, 95% CI = 2.30-6.06). In the psychological wellness model, those aged ≥70 (OR = 6.18, 95% CI = 2.72-14.07), 60-69 (OR = 4.64, 95% CI = 2.13-10.10), and 50-59 (OR = 4.96, 95% CI = 2.24-11.02) versus those aged 18-29, and good (versus poor) physical wellness (OR = 6.89, 95% CI = 4.34-10.94) were associated with higher odds of reporting good versus poor psychological wellness. These results may be helpful at targeting resources to optimize the wellness of US adults with asthma. Additional studies are needed to determine any temporal associations between these findings.