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Updated: May 19, 2026

Asthma Detection Research Based on Voice Signal Processing and Machine Learning
Published on: July 22, 2025
The association between language proficiency and outcomes of elderly patients with asthma
Juan P Wisnivesky1, Katherine Krauskopf, Michael S Wolf
1Division of General Internal Medicine, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, New York, USA. Juan.Wisnivesky@mssm.edu
Background:
Asthma is a growing cause of morbidity for elderly Americans and is highly prevalent among Hispanic people in the United States. The inability to speak English poses a barrier to patient-provider communication.
Objective:
To evaluate associations between limited English proficiency, asthma self-management, and outcomes in elderly Hispanic patients.
Method:
Elderly patients with asthma receiving primary care at clinics in New York City and Chicago were studied.
Results:
Of 268 patients in the study, 68% were non-Hispanic, 18% English-proficient Hispanic, and 14% Hispanic with limited English proficiency. Unadjusted analyses showed that Hispanic persons with limited English proficiency had worse asthma control (P = .0007), increased likelihood of inpatient visits (P = .002), and poorer quality of life (P < .0001). We also found significant associations between limited English proficiency and poorer medication adherence (P = .006). Similar results were obtained in multiple regression analyses adjusting for demographics, asthma history, comorbidities, depression, and health literacy.
Conclusion:
Limited English proficiency was associated with poorer self-management and worse outcomes among elderly patients with asthma. Further understanding of mechanisms underlying this relationship is necessary to develop interventions that improve asthma outcomes in this vulnerable population.
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