Frailty and sociodemographic and health factors, and social support network in the brazilian elderly: A longitudinal study.
Jack Roberto Silva Fhon, Luípa Michele Silva Cabral, Suellen Borelli Lima Giacomini and 3 others
PMID 34908099WHAT IT FOUND
Over 10 years, frailty rose in older adults living at home, and it was linked to worsening independence, more depressive symptoms, and more illnesses.
Social support fell, but it was not linked to frailty.
Key findings
01Mean frailty score increased from 3.64 to 5.75 on a zero to 17 scale, while mean functional independence decreased from 121.69 to 116.33 on an 18 to 126 scale.
02After adjustment for age and sex, decreasing functional independence, increasing depressive symptoms, and increasing self-reported illnesses were associated with a greater probability of rising frailty over time.
03Family and friend support decreased over time, but social support was not associated with frailty in either the longitudinal or cross-sectional analysis.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTsWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
Only 189 of 515 baseline participants were assessed at follow-up; 212 died and 114 were not located, so the frailty change describes survivors. The authors list losses due to death, change of residence, refusals, non-locations, and hospitalization as limitations. The disease list was self-reported. The study was observational and did not test an intervention, so it reports associations rather than treatment effects.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that strengthening social support will reduce frailty. The study observed associations over time and found no association between social support and frailty in either analysis.