Author:
van Assen Marcel A. L. M.,Helmink Judith H. M.,Gobbens Robbert J. J.
Abstract
Abstract
Background
Multidimensional frailty, including physical, psychological, and social components, is associated to disability, lower quality of life, increased healthcare utilization, and mortality. In order to prevent or delay frailty, more knowledge of its determinants is necessary; one of these determinants is lifestyle. The aim of this study is to determine the association between lifestyle factors smoking, alcohol use, nutrition, physical activity, and multidimensional frailty.
Methods
This cross-sectional study was conducted in two samples comprising in total 45,336 Dutch community-dwelling individuals aged 65 years or older. These samples completed a questionnaire including questions about smoking, alcohol use, physical activity, sociodemographic factors (both samples), and nutrition (one sample). Multidimensional frailty was assessed with the Tilburg Frailty Indicator (TFI).
Results
Higher alcohol consumption, physical activity, healthy nutrition, and less smoking were associated with less total, physical, psychological and social frailty after controlling for effects of other lifestyle factors and sociodemographic characteristics of the participants (age, gender, marital status, education, income). Effects of physical activity on total and physical frailty were up to considerable, whereas the effects of other lifestyle factors on frailty were small.
Conclusions
The four lifestyle factors were not only associated with physical frailty but also with psychological and social frailty. The different associations of frailty domains with lifestyle factors emphasize the importance of assessing frailty broadly and thus to pay attention to the multidimensional nature of this concept. The findings offer healthcare professionals starting points for interventions with the purpose to prevent or delay the onset of frailty, so community-dwelling older people have the possibility to aging in place accompanied by a good quality of life.
Publisher
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Subject
Geriatrics and Gerontology
Reference53 articles.
1. Collard RM, Boter H, Schoevers RA, Oude Voshaar RC. Prevalence of frailty in community-dwelling older persons: a systematic review. J Am Geriatr Soc. 2012;60(8):1487–92. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1532-5415.2012.04054.x.
2. United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs. Population Division. World population prospects. The 2015 revision. Key findings and advance tables. Working paper No. ESA/P/WP.241. New York, 2015. Available from: http://esa.un.org/unpd/wpp/publications/files/key_findings_wpp_2015.pdf. Accessed July 19, 2017.
3. Fried LP, Tangen CM, Walston J, Newman AB, Hirsch C, Gottdiener J, et al. Frailty in older adults: evidence for a phenotype. J Gerontol A, Biol Sci Med Sci. 2001;56(3):M146–56. https://doi.org/10.1093/gerona/56.3.m146.
4. Gobbens RJ, Luijkx KG, Wijnen-Sponselee MT, Schols JM. Toward a conceptual definition of frail community dwelling older people. Nurs Outlook. 2010;58(2):76–86. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.outlook.2009.09.005.
5. Liu HX, Ding G, Yu WJ, Liu TF, Yan AY, Chen HY, et al. Association between frailty and incident risk of disability in community-dwelling elder people: evidence from a meta-analysis. Public Health. 2019;175:90–100. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.puhe.2019.06.010.