Center for Human-Caring Nurse Leaders for the Future by Brain Korea 21 (BK 21) four project, College of Nursing, Seoul National University, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
Elderly Frailty Research Center, Department of Family Medicine, College of Medicine, Kyung Hee University, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
Geriatr Gerontol Int. 2021 Jun;21(6):465-471. doi: 10.1111/ggi.14160. Epub 2021 Apr 17.
The study aimed to identify social factors predicting improvement of frailty in community-dwelling older adults after 2 years using a population-based cohort study.
We analyzed data from the 2016 and 2018 Korean Frailty and Aging Cohort Study. The participants of this study were 1428 community-dwelling older adults aged 70-84 years who were recruited from 10 medical centers across different regions. Frailty was measured using the five-item FRAIL scale, which evaluates fatigue, resistance, ambulation, illness and weight loss. Multilevel logistic regression analysis was used to examine baseline social factors that predict frailty improvement after 2 years by frailty status.
In frail older adults, higher participation in social activities (odds ratio [OR] 1.17, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.02-1.34) was significantly associated with frailty improvement. In pre-frail older adults, there were no significant social factors predicting the improvement of frailty status; however, other modifiable factors such as high and moderate levels of physical activity (OR 1.17, 95% CI 1.07-1.28, OR 1.13, 95% CI 1.03-1.25, respectively) and low depressive symptoms (OR 0.88, 95% CI 0.84-0.91) were associated with pre-frail improvements. High levels of physical activity (OR 1.16, 95% CI 1.02-1.33) were also associated with improvements of frailty.
Different strategies depending on the level of frailty are necessary to improve frailty status. Timely and appropriate interventions can promote frailty improvement and prevent negative health outcomes in community-dwelling older adults. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2021; 21: 465-471.
本研究旨在通过一项基于人群的队列研究，确定预测社区居住的老年人在 2 年后虚弱程度改善的社会因素。
我们分析了 2016 年和 2018 年韩国虚弱与衰老队列研究的数据。本研究的参与者为来自不同地区的 10 家医疗中心的 1428 名 70-84 岁社区居住的老年人。采用五因素 FRAIL 量表评估衰弱，该量表评估疲劳、抵抗力、活动能力、疾病和体重减轻。采用多水平逻辑回归分析，根据衰弱状态，检查 2 年后预测衰弱改善的基线社会因素。
在虚弱的老年人中，更高的社会参与度（比值比 [OR] 1.17，95%置信区间 [CI] 1.02-1.34）与衰弱改善显著相关。在虚弱前期的老年人中，没有显著的社会因素预测衰弱状态的改善；然而，其他可改变的因素，如高水平和中水平的身体活动（OR 1.17，95% CI 1.07-1.28，OR 1.13，95% CI 1.03-1.25）和低抑郁症状（OR 0.88，95% CI 0.84-0.91）与虚弱前期的改善相关。高水平的身体活动（OR 1.16，95% CI 1.02-1.33）也与衰弱的改善相关。
根据虚弱程度的不同，需要采取不同的策略来改善虚弱状态。及时和适当的干预措施可以促进虚弱的改善，预防社区居住的老年人出现不良健康结局。
