Abstract 18473: Role of Linguistic Acculturation and Physical Activity With Risk of 1 Year Hospital Readmission After Suspected Acute Coronary Syndrome

Abstract

Background: Disparities in acute coronary syndrome (ACS) outcomes after hospital care exist beyond racial and ethnic factors. In particular, low linguistic acculturation (LA) may impact care and lead to poorer prognosis. Few studies have examined LA’s impact on outcome disparities post-hospitalization and identified modifiable behaviors, such as physical activity (PA) engagement, that can mitigate risk. Aim: To evaluate the association of LA with 1-year hospital readmission risk among patients evaluated for ACS and examine PA as an effect modifier. Methods: Patients evaluated for ACS in the emergency unit (n=609, 47.8% female, 58.0% Hispanic, 63±12yrs) were studied. LA was classified into three levels (low, intermediate, high) based on patient’s self-reported native and preferred languages and English fluency. Continuous total PA was objectively assessed 30 days post-discharge via a GENEActiv accelerometer worn on the non-dominant wrist. One-year all-cause hospital readmissions were ascertained via hospital medical record searches. Cox regression models used high LA as referent group. Results: Over 1-year follow-up, 264 (44.0%) patients had a subsequent hospital admission. Low LA was associated with increased 1-year readmission risk after adjusting for demographic factors, comorbidities, disease severity, and PA indicators (intermediate HR=1.44; 95% CI: 0.91-2.28; low HR=1.63; 95% CI: 1.05-2.55; p-trend=0.035). PA moderated this association (p-interaction=0.003). Low LA was only associated with greater risk of 1-year readmission among those with low PA levels (below median of 158 min/day; HR=1.88; 95% CI: 1.00, 2.79). Among those with high PA, the association between low LA and risk of readmission was attenuated and not statistically significant (HR=1.46; 95% CI: 0.75, 2.83). Conclusion: Among a diverse cohort of patients with suspected ACS, LA was associated with reduced risk of 1-year hospital readmission. PA significantly moderated this relationship, with higher volumes of PA attenuating the positive association between low LA and increased risk of 1-year hospital readmission. These findings implicate low LA as a potential risk factor for readmission post-ACS and suggest increased engagement in PA can help mitigate this risk.