Associations between risk factors for cardiovascular diseases and frailty among community-dwelling older adults in Lanzhou, China.
Yanhong Wang, Hae-Ra Han, Wei Yang and 8 others
PMID 33997130WHAT IT FOUND
Among 458 older adults in China, obesity was linked with prefrailty, and hypertension was linked with lower frailty.
These are one-time associations, not proof that changing these factors reduces frailty.
Key findings
01Among 458 older adults, 60.0% were prefrail and 9.2% were frail.
02Older adults with obesity had higher odds of prefrailty than those with normal BMI (adjusted OR 2.26; 95% CI 1.05-4.84).
03Participants with hypertension had lower odds of frailty than non-frail counterparts (adjusted OR 0.31; 95% CI 0.11-0.87).
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
Because all measurements were taken at one time, the study cannot show that obesity causes prefrailty or that hypertension lowers frailty risk. Participants were older adults who attended annual examinations and could move freely, so the findings may not apply to more disabled or homebound older adults. Medical history and medication use were self-reported, so recall bias is possible. Only 42 participants were frail, so the frailty results rest on a small group. The authors did not adjust for physical activity in some analyses, which could affect waist circumference findings.
Declared interests
Funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (grant 71804064). The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that weight control prevents frailty or that hypertension is protective. The study measured associations at one time and did not test any intervention.