Differences in the Prevalence of and Factors Associated with Frailty in Five Japanese Residential Areas

Abstract

This study aimed to examine area differences in the prevalence of and factors associated with frailty. This cross-sectional study included metropolitan (eastern and western areas), suburban (districts A and B), and rural areas of Japan (n = 9182, woman 50.9%). Frailty was defined by using a standardized questionnaire comprising three subcategories (fall, nutritional status, and social activities). The prevalence of frailty in the five areas was 14.2% to 30.6% for men and 11.5% to 21.4% for women. The areas with a high frailty prevalence had a significantly lower nutritional status or social activity, or both. Compared to the western metropolitan area, among men, the multivariable-adjusted prevalence ratio (APR) of frailty was significantly higher in the eastern metropolitan area and lower in suburban district A, and among women, the eastern metropolitan and rural areas had significantly higher APRs. Area-stratified multiple Poisson regression analysis showed that age, bone and joint disease, and a subjective economic status were associated with frailty in most areas and that some factors were area-specific, i.e., living alone (for men living in metropolitan areas) and underweight (for women living in suburban areas). The frailty prevalence differed by area, even after multivariable adjustment. Area-specific characteristics and factors associated with frailty may result in area differences.

Prevalence and risk factors of the co‐occurrence of physical frailty and cognitive impairment in Chinese community‐dwelling older adults

“…This finding indicates that social participation has a protective effect on the co‐occurrence of physical frailty and cognitive impairment. This finding aligns with results of previous studies reporting participation in social activities was associated with the preservation of cognitive function (Fu, Li, & Mao, 2018; Sakamoto et al., 2017) and decreased odds of physical frailty (Abe et al., 2019; Teo, Gao, Nyunt, Wee, & Ng, 2017). There are several possible explanations for the association between social participation and cognitive frailty.…”

“…share several common underlying pathophysiologic mechanisms, including subclinical cerebrovascular diseases, chronic inflammation and hypothalamic-pituitary axis stress response dysfunction (Panza et al, 2018;Vaughan et al, 2015) was associated with the preservation of cognitive function (Fu, Li, & Mao, 2018;Sakamoto et al, 2017) and decreased odds of physical frailty (Abe et al, 2019;Teo, Gao, Nyunt, Wee, & Ng, 2017).…”

Frailty Status and Transport Disadvantage: Comparison of Older Adults’ Travel Behaviours between Metropolitan, Suburban, and Rural Areas of Japan

“…A description of data collection in each locality has been reported elsewhere [ 14 , 15 , 16 ]. Briefly, a mail survey was conducted in Ota ward in 2016 as the baseline assessment for a community-wide intervention trial.…”

Do Walking-Friendly Built Environments Influence Frailty and Long-Term Care Insurance Service Needs?

“…KYCL scores (cut-off point = 3/4) discriminated frailty from non-frailty with sensitivity of 70.0% and specificity of 89.3% [46]. We used the cut-off for the frailty of 3/4, based on prior studies [7,46]. The incidence of LTCI service needs was the secondary outcome variable.…”

“…With the rapid growth of the aging population, the World Health Organization has indicated that health is one of the most important goals of successful sustainable development in any city [2]. Frailty is common among older adults and a strong predictor of long-term care and medical care utilization [3][4][5][6][7]. For example, a recent study reported that the national prevalence of frailty was approximately 9% in community-dwelling older adults in Japan [6].…”