Cognitive Frailty in Thai Community-Dwelling Elderly: Prevalence and Its Association with Malnutrition

Abstract

Cognitive frailty (CF) is defined by the coexistence of physical frailty and mild cognitive impairment. Malnutrition is an underlying factor of age-related conditions including physical frailty. However, the evidence associating malnutrition and cognitive frailty is limited. This cross-sectional study aimed to determine the association between malnutrition and CF in the elderly. A total of 373 participants aged 65–84 years were enrolled after excluding those who were suspected to have dementia and depression. Then, 61 CF and 45 normal participants were randomly selected to measure serum prealbumin level. Cognitive function was assessed using the Montreal Cognitive Assessment-Basic (MoCA-B). Modified Fried’s criteria were used to define physical frailty. Nutritional status was evaluated by the Mini Nutritional Assessment–short form (MNA-SF), serum prealbumin, and anthropometric measurements. The prevalence of CF was 28.72%. Malnourished status by MNA-SF category (aOR = 2.81, 95%CI: 1.18–6.67) and MNA-SF score (aOR = 0.84, 95%CI = 0.74–0.94) were independently associated with CF. However, there was no correlation between CF and malnutrition assessed by serum prealbumin level and anthropometric measurements. Other independent risk factors of CF were advanced age (aOR = 1.06, 95%CI: 1.02–1.11) and educational level below high school (aOR = 6.77, 95%CI: 1.99–23.01). Malnutrition was associated with CF among Thai elderly. High-risk groups who are old and poorly educated should receive early screening and nutritional interventions.