Interaction between preferred language and language concordance was non-significant for all medications and outcomes

Description #

Tests of statistical interaction between a patient's preferred language and patient–provider language concordance were non-significant across every medication and every adherence outcome — i.e., the effect of concordance on adherence did not depend on which language the patient preferred.

"Tests of interaction between preferred language and language concordance were non-significant for all medications and all outcomes." (Kahler, 2022, p. 33)

Methods Context #

What? #ⓘ

The observable: the statistical interaction term (preferred language × language concordance) in regression models predicting each adherence outcome.

"Interaction in terms of significance of the Wald test for the multiplicand of the values of those two variables were reported." (Kahler, 2022, p. 32)

How? #ⓘ

OLS regression models included a multiplicative interaction term between preferred language and the concordance ratio; significance assessed with a Wald test.

"Models were examined for evidence of interaction between language and the concordance ratio." (Kahler, 2022, p. 32)

Who? #ⓘ

The same 59 type 2 diabetes primary-care patients across the three preferred-language cohorts (English, Spanish, Nepali).

"The three language groups were compared to each other in terms of these outcomes, as well as their most recent HbA1c value and the number of visits with a language-concordant provider." (Kahler, 2022, p. 32)

Other Notes #

This non-significant interaction supports treating language concordance as the operative factor independent of the specific preferred language.

Caveats #

• Small underpowered sample yields wide confidence intervals in the language-concordance adherence analysis The study analyzed only 59 patients, split across three language groups and further across medication subsamples (as small as n=2 in some Table 3 cells). The authors state the language-concordance analysis was underpowered, producing wide confidence intervals — so the concordance findings, while suggestive, are statistically fragile.