Department of Public Health, Yonsei University Graduate School, 50 Yonsei-ro, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul, 03722, Republic of Korea.
Institute of Health Services Research, Yonsei University, 50 Yonsei-ro, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul, 03722, Republic of Korea.
BMC Geriatr. 2020 Apr 15;20(1):139. doi: 10.1186/s12877-020-01522-x.
Frailty is an emerging public health concern among aging populations. Although socioeconomic status is a well-known contributor to frailty, there is limited research investigating the effects of poverty on frailty. This study aimed to examine the association between poverty transitions and frailty prevalence in older adults.
Data were collected from the six-wave Korean Longitudinal Study of Ageing (2006-2016). A total of 9263 middle-aged and older adults were included in the analysis. Poverty was defined as being below 50% of the median household income based on the equivalized household. Frailty was measured using an instrument comprising items on physical phenotype (grip strength) and psychological (exhaustion) and social aspects (isolation). Analyses using generalized estimating equations were conducted to estimate the relationship between poverty transition and frailty status.
Among the 9263 respondents, 9.4% of the male respondents (n = 388) and 13.6% of the female respondents (n = 700) were frail. After controlling for covariates, female participants who transitioned into poverty (OR = 1.31, 95% CI: 1.02-1.69) and persistently remained in poverty (OR = 1.36, 95% CI: 1.10-1.68) showed increased odds of frailty in the follow-up year. We did not find significant results in the male participants.
The findings suggest that those who experience poverty transitions, enter poverty, and remain in poverty persistently are at higher risk of frailty. To improve age-related health status among the elderly, interventions aiming to prevent and reduce frailty among the elderly should target individuals who are more vulnerable to the negative effects of frailty.
衰弱是老龄化人口中一个新出现的公共卫生问题。尽管社会经济地位是导致衰弱的一个众所周知的因素，但关于贫困对衰弱的影响的研究有限。本研究旨在探讨老年人贫困转型与衰弱流行之间的关系。
数据来自六波韩国老龄化纵向研究（2006-2016 年）。共有 9263 名中年及以上成年人纳入分析。贫困是根据家庭收入中位数的 50%来定义的，即等价家庭。衰弱是通过一个包含身体表型（握力）、心理（疲惫）和社会方面（孤立）的工具来衡量的。使用广义估计方程进行分析，以估计贫困转型与衰弱状态之间的关系。
在 9263 名受访者中，9.4%的男性受访者（n=388）和 13.6%的女性受访者（n=700）衰弱。在控制了协变量后，女性参与者从贫困转为贫困（OR=1.31，95%可信区间：1.02-1.69）和持续处于贫困状态（OR=1.36，95%可信区间：1.10-1.68）在随后的一年中，衰弱的可能性增加。我们没有在男性参与者中发现显著结果。
研究结果表明，那些经历贫困转型、进入贫困和持续贫困的人衰弱的风险更高。为了改善老年人的与年龄相关的健康状况，旨在预防和减少老年人衰弱的干预措施应该针对那些更容易受到衰弱负面影响的人。
