Influence of combined cognitive impairment and social frailty on physical frailty in community-dwelling older adults

Abstract

Purpose: This study aimed to identify the influence of combined cognitive impairment and social frailty on physical frailty.

Methods: This study analyzed secondary data from the 2020 National Survey of Older Koreans, which was collected nationwide from community-dwelling individuals aged >= 65 years.

Results: Combined cognitive impairment and social frailty (odds ratio (OR) =4.44, 95% confidence interval (CI) =3.14-6.28), cognitive impairment and social pre-frailty (OR =2.38, 95% CI =1.70-3.34), noncognitive impairment and social frailty (OR =2.16, 95% CI =1.54-3.04), and noncognitive impairment and social prefrailty (OR =1.40, 95% CI =1.02-1.91) groups were more likely to be physically frail than noncognitive impairment and socially robust groups after adjusting for sociodemographic and health-related factors.

Conclusion: Healthcare providers need to be aware that older adults who suffer from both cognitive impairment and social frailty may be vulnerable to physical frailty.