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Determinants of frailty development and progression using a multidimensional frailty index: Evidence from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing

Niederstrasser, NG; Rogers, NT; Bandelow, S; (2019) Determinants of frailty development and progression using a multidimensional frailty index: Evidence from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing. PLoS One , 14 (10) , Article e0223799. 10.1371/journal.pone.0223799. Green open access

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Abstract

Objective To identify modifiable risk factors for development and progression of frailty in older adults living in England, as conceptualised by a multidimensional frailty index (FI). Methods Data from participants aged 50 and over from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA) was used to examine potential determinants of frailty, using a 56-item FI comprised of self-reported health conditions, disabilities, cognitive function, hearing, eyesight, depressive symptoms and ability to carry out activities of daily living. Cox proportional hazards regression models were used to measure frailty development (n = 7420) and linear regression models to measure frailty progression over 12 years follow-up (n = 8780). Results Increasing age (HR: 1.08 (CI: 1.08–1.09)), being in the lowest wealth quintile (HR: 1.79 (CI: 1.54–2.08)), lack of educational qualifications (HR: 1.19 (CI: 1.09–1.30)), obesity (HR: 1.33 (CI: 1.18–1.50) and a high waist-hip ratio (HR: 1.25 (CI: 1.13–1.38)), being a current or previous smoker (HR: 1.29 (CI: 1.18–1.41)), pain (HR: 1.39 (CI: 1.34–1.45)), sedentary behaviour (HR: 2.17 (CI: 1.76–2.78) and lower body strength (HR: 1.07 (CI: 1.06–1.08)), were all significant risk factors for frailty progression and incidence after simultaneous adjustment for all examined factors. Conclusion The findings of this study suggest that there may be scope to reduce both frailty incidence and progression by trialling interventions aimed at reducing obesity and sedentary behaviour, increasing intensity of physical activity, and improving success of smoking cessation tools. Furthermore, improving educational outcomes and reducing poverty may also reduce inequalities in frailty.

Type: Article
Title: Determinants of frailty development and progression using a multidimensional frailty index: Evidence from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing
Open access status: An open access version is available from UCL Discovery
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0223799
Publisher version: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0223799
Language: English
Additional information: This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
UCL classification: UCL
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Medical Sciences
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Medical Sciences > Div of Surgery and Interventional Sci
URI: https://discovery-pp.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10084786
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