Factors for the change in frailty status during the COVID-19 pandemic: A prospective cohort study over six- and 12-month periods in Japan.
Tomoyuki Shinohara, Kosuke Saida, Shigeya Tanaka and 2 others
PMID 36155309WHAT IT FOUND
In community-dwelling older adults, reporting difficulty chewing tough foods or weaker legs was associated with worsening frailty at six months; weaker legs remained associated at twelve months.
Key findings
01Among robust participants, 62 (41.3%) worsened to pre-frail or frail at the six-month follow-up, and 73 (48.7%) at the 12-month follow-up.
02Over six months, poor responses about difficulty eating tough foods and leg muscle strength were associated with worsening frailty status.
03Over 12 months, leg muscle strength alone was significantly associated with change in frailty status.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
Read the rest of this summary
You get three full summaries a month, free, and we do not ask for a card. Search, the TL;DRs and your library stay unlimited either way.
What it does not show
The analysed group was much smaller than the survey population: 404 older adults were analysed, while 1,953 received survey forms and 1,217 completed the baseline survey. Follow-up was low, especially among frail participants (25.2%), so the results may not represent older adults with the worst frailty. Only 33 frail participants were present at baseline, so conclusions about the most vulnerable group are uncertain. Frailty status and exposures were based on self-report questionnaires, not measured grip strength, walking speed, or actual leg muscle strength. Cognitive deficits were not adequately considered, although 7.2% answered yes to family or friends pointing out memory loss and 18.0% answered yes to not knowing today's date. The study could not quantify actual pandemic-related lifestyle changes, and some participants may have stayed home because of pre-existing health issues rather than pandemic measures.
Declared interests
The work was supported by the Nippon Life Insurance Foundation (Grant 2020-0203-04) and the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science KAKENHI (Grant 19K19712). The authors declared no competing interests.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that weaker legs or chewing difficulty caused frailty to worsen. This was an observational self-report study with low follow-up, no measured strength, and the authors said the actual pandemic-related lifestyle changes could not be quantified.