Tang Dongfeng, Sheehan Katie J, Goubar Aicha, Whitney Julie, Dl O'Connell Matthew
School of Life Course and Population Sciences, Faculty of Life Science and Medicine, King's College London, London, UK.
School of Life Course and Population Sciences, Faculty of Life Science and Medicine, King's College London, London, UK; Blizard Institute, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, Queen Mary University of London, London, UK.
Arch Gerontol Geriatr. 2025 Jun;133:105822. doi: 10.1016/j.archger.2025.105822. Epub 2025 Mar 6.
Frailty is a challenging issue in China, however the prevalence of frailty across different population groups and whether this is changing over time remain unclear.
Unstandardized and age-and sex-standardized prevalence of frailty (95 % confidence interval (95 % CI)) (Frailty Index) in the overall sample and for subgroups defined by equity factors (PROGRESS-Plus framework) from 2011 to 2020 were estimated using analyses of cross-sectional surveys in adults aged 45 and older participating in 5 waves (N = 16,784 to 18,904 across waves) of the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Studies (CHARLS). Poisson regression was used to estimate prevalence ratios (PRs) of frailty by equity factors.
Unstandardized prevalence of frailty increased from 13.6 % (13.0 %-14.1 %) in 2011 to 18.7 % (18.1 %-19.3 %) in 2020.The standardized prevalence increased from 13.5 % (13.0 %-14.0 %) in 2011 to 16.3 % (15.8 %-16.9 %) in 2020. Frailty was consistently more prevalent at advanced ages, in rural areas, among females, as well as those less educated, without social engagement, and non-drinkers. Based on the Poisson regression model, non-north region, being female and older, lower education, having no social engagement, smoking and non-drinking, and higher household capital consumption were associated with higher prevalence.
The prevalence of frailty among the middle-aged and older population in China has increased. There will be an associated health and social care cost. Interventions targeted at older adults, those in rural areas, women, as well as those less educated, having no social engagement, and non-drinkers to mitigate the negative effects of frailty may be warranted.
衰弱在中国是一个具有挑战性的问题，然而不同人群中衰弱的患病率以及其是否随时间变化仍不明确。
利用对45岁及以上成年人参与中国健康与养老追踪调查（CHARLS）5轮调查（各轮次样本量从16,784至18,904不等）的横断面调查分析，估计了总体样本以及由公平因素（PROGRESS-Plus框架）定义的亚组中衰弱（衰弱指数）的未标准化患病率及年龄和性别标准化患病率（95%置信区间）。采用泊松回归估计按公平因素划分的衰弱患病率比（PRs）。
衰弱的未标准化患病率从2011年的13.6%（13.0%-14.1%）增至2020年的18.7%（18.1%-19.3%）。标准化患病率从2011年的13.5%（13.0%-14.0%）增至2020年的16.3%（15.8%-16.9%）。在高龄人群、农村地区人群、女性、受教育程度较低者、不参与社交活动者以及不饮酒者中，衰弱始终更为普遍。基于泊松回归模型，非北方地区、女性、年龄较大、教育程度较低、不参与社交活动、吸烟且不饮酒以及家庭资本消耗较高与较高的患病率相关。
中国中老年人群中衰弱的患病率有所上升。这将带来相关的健康和社会护理成本。针对老年人、农村地区人群、女性以及受教育程度较低、不参与社交活动和不饮酒者进行干预，以减轻衰弱的负面影响或许是有必要的。
