Physical function and health-related quality of life of community-dwelling older adults with locomotive syndrome and pre-frailty.
Ayako Yokota, Etsuko Maeshima, Shinichiro Maeshima and 2 others
PMID 35698551WHAT IT FOUND
Older adults with locomotive syndrome and pre-frailty had lower health-related quality of life and slower sit-to-stand than robust peers.
Those with locomotive syndrome alone had poorer mobility test scores and slower walking, but similar quality of life.
Key findings
01Older adults with locomotive syndrome and pre-frailty had slower sit-to-stand performance and lower health-related quality of life scores than robust older adults.
02Older adults with locomotive syndrome only had poorer mobility test performance and slower walking than robust older adults, while quality of life scores did not differ significantly.
03Among people with locomotive syndrome, those who also had pre-frailty reported lower general health, vitality, mental health, and mental component summary scores than those with locomotive syndrome alone.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTs
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What it does not show
The study included only older adults who could travel to the research institute and who volunteered for a community salon, so it may not represent frailer or less mobile older adults. It excluded frailty participants, so it cannot show what happens when locomotive syndrome combines with frailty rather than pre-frailty. The paper reports 92 participants selected but 83 analyzed, and the supplied text does not explain the difference. The groups were small, with 37 robust, 27 locomotive syndrome only, and 19 locomotive syndrome with pre-frailty participants. The study compared groups at one assessment, so it cannot prove that locomotive syndrome or pre-frailty caused lower function or quality of life. The authors could not clarify why general health, vitality, mental health, and mental component summary were lower in the combined group.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that locomotive syndrome alone lowers quality of life. In this study, people with locomotive syndrome only had quality of life scores similar to robust peers. The clear drop was in people who also had pre-frailty.