Multidimensional associations of physical performance, balance, wellness and daily activities with frailty in older adults with coexisting frailty and diabetes.
Juan Corral-Pérez, Alba Mier, María Ángeles Vázquez-Sánchez and 3 others
PMID 38932443WHAT IT FOUND
In older adults with diabetes and frailty, faster walking and sit-to-stand movement, better one-leg balance, more moderate-to-vigorous activity, less dependence, better nutrition and health perception were associated with being pre-frail rather than frail.
Higher depression scores were associated with being frail.
Key findings
01After adjustment for age and walking assistance, handgrip strength and Barthel score were not significant, while the best physical performance model combined 4-meter gait speed and sit-to-stand velocity.
02One-leg balance was the only balance measure associated with frailty, and the best daily activity model included moderate-to-vigorous activity and Barthel score, with inactivity time as a risk factor.
03The best wellness model included nutritional status, self-perceived health and depression, with depression a risk factor; glycosylated haemoglobin did not differ between pre-frail and frail participants.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTsWhat 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 study measured everything at one time, so it cannot show whether any factor caused frailty or whether changing it would help. Some answers came from self-report, and the authors said these could be biased. Using gait speed and handgrip strength in the frailty classification may make the associations with those same measures harder to interpret. The sample was limited to community-dwelling older adults with type 2 diabetes who already had at least one frailty criterion, so it does not speak to robust adults or people without diabetes. The frail group contained 38 participants.
Declared interests
The study was funded by Junta de Andalucía and ERDF under project UMA20-FEDERJA-154. The authors declared financial support for the research, authorship and publication.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read faster walking, better balance, more activity, better nutrition or lower depression scores as proof that a treatment will prevent frailty. This was a cross-sectional study, so it measured associations at one time and cannot show cause.