Association between frailty and cognitive status among ambulating Korean elderly: An observational study

Abstract

We aimed to determine the association between frailty and cognitive status of the elderly population in Korea. We examined data from 9920 elders who participated in the 2020 Survey of Living Conditions and Welfare Needs of Korean Older Persons. Frailty was assessed using the Korean version of the Fatigue, Resistance, Ambulation, Illnesses, and Weight Loss scale. The Korean mini-mental status examination was used to test cognitive function. Several logistic regression analysis was performed, with correction for several confounding variables (socioeconomic, health behavior, psychological characteristics, and functional status), to evaluate the relationship between frailty and cognitive state. Of the elderly population in Korea, 1451 (14.6%) were frail and 5977 (60.3%) were pre-frail. Compared to the non-frail group (20.3%), cognitive impairment was considerably higher in the pre-frail (33.1%) and frail (39.8%) groups. When compared to the non-frail group, cognitive impairment was substantially linked to a higher risk of frailty after adjustment (pre-frail odds ratio [OR]: 1.66, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.47–1.88; frail OR: 2.00, 95% CI: 1.68–2.37). When cognitive impairment and frailty subcomponents were present, there was a higher likelihood of severe resistance (OR: 1.89; 95% CI: 1.70–2.11) and ambulation (OR: 1.46, 95% CI: 1.32–1.63) issues. Frailty is associated with cognitive impairment.