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BMC Geriatrics
Published in: BMC Geriatrics 1/2020

Open Access 01-12-2020 | Research article

Loneliness as a risk factor for frailty transition among older Chinese people

Authors: Sha Sha, Yuebin Xu, Lin Chen

Published in: BMC Geriatrics | Issue 1/2020

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Abstract

Background

Previous literature has reported that loneliness is a strong predictor of frailty risk. However, less is known about the role of loneliness in frailty transition types. This study aimed to examine whether and how loneliness are related to frailty transition among older Chinese people.

Methods

Our study used participants (aged ≥60 years) from 2008/2009, 2011/2012 and 2014 waves of the Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey (CLHLS). Loneliness was assessed by a single question asking how often the respondent feels lonely. The FRAIL Scale was created to measure physical frailty for our study, and frailty was also assessed by a broader definition of the frailty index. Frailty transition as an outcome variable has been designed as two types according to the measurement of frailty.

Results

Greater loneliness at baseline reduced the possibility of remaining in a robust or prefrail physical frailty state after 3 years (OR = 0.78, 95%CI: 0.68–0.91, p < 0.01). Greater loneliness was associated with an increased risk of worsening physical frailty over time: compared with those who had never felt lonely, the odds ratios for people who often felt lonely were 1.19 (95%CI: 1.01–1.41, p < 0.05) after 3 years and 1.34 (95%CI: 1.08–1.66, p < 0.01) after 6 years. The association between loneliness and change in the frailty index differed in the survey periods: loneliness at baseline was found to increase the possibility of participants remaining in frailty (seldom loneliness: OR = 1.78, 95%CI: 1.25–2.55, p < 0.01; often loneliness: OR = 1.74, 95%CI: 1.21–2.50, p < 0.01) after 6 years, but no significance was shown in the 3-year follow up. Additionally, loneliness at baselines was significantly associated with frailty transition at follow up among the male participants. However, a similar association was not observed among the female participants.

Conclusion

Older people with a high level of loneliness tend to be frail in the future, and greater loneliness is related to an increased risk of worsening frailty and remaining frail. Male elderly with a high level of loneliness were more likely to have a worse frailty transition than female elderly in China.
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Metadata
Title
Loneliness as a risk factor for frailty transition among older Chinese people
Authors
Sha Sha
Yuebin Xu
Lin Chen
Publication date
01-12-2020
Publisher
BioMed Central
Published in
BMC Geriatrics / Issue 1/2020
Electronic ISSN: 1471-2318
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1186/s12877-020-01714-5

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