Assessing the psychosocial dimensions of frailty among older adults in Singapore: a community-based cross-sectional study

Abstract

ObjectiveTo examine how multiple dimensions of mental and social health, in addition to physical health, were associated with frailty among older adults.DesignA door-to-door sampling household community-based survey.SettingThirty-two public housing blocks within a residential town in Singapore’s central region.Participants497 residents aged 60 years or older from the public housing town.Outcome measuresPhysical frailty was assessed using the FRAIL Scale, which stands for fatigue, resistance, ambulation, illnesses and loss of weight. Physical health was assessed by multimorbidity, physical activity and functional ability; mental illness was assessed by the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ); and social domains were assessed by the Lubben Social Network Scale, Community Integration Measure and UCLA (University of California, Los Angeles) Loneliness Scale.ResultsCompared with robust (59.5%) and prefrail (32.6%) older adults, frail adults (7.9%) reported higher morbidity, lower functional ability and physical activity, higher scores on GHQ, and lower scores on all three social health scales. In multiple regression models, frailty was significantly associated with age 81–90 years (adjusted OR=2.22, 95% CI 1.23 to 3.99), having 2–3 (adjusted OR=1.56, 95% CI 1.02 to 2.38) or >3 (adjusted OR=1.83, 95% CI 1.05 to 3.18) chronic diseases, reduced ability to perform daily tasks without assistance (adjusted OR=0.41, 95% CI 0.23 to 0.73), having fallen in the past 6 months (adjusted OR=2.18, 95% CI 1.18 to 4.06), social dysfunction in GHQ (adjusted OR=1.24, 95% CI 1.08 to 1.43) and loneliness (adjusted OR=1.26, 95% CI 1.06 to 1.50). Physical activity did not remain significantly associated with frailty when mental and social health-related factors were entered in the regression.ConclusionCommunity intervention for frailty prevention and management needs to include mental health promotion and social engagement to increase its impact on older adults.

Effects of participatory ‘A’rt-Based Activity On ‘Health’ of Older Community-Dwellers: results from a randomized control trial of the Singapore A-Health Intervention

“…The World Health Organization anticipates that by 2050, the world's population of people aged above 60 years old will double, while those aged 80 years and above will triple (1). The prevalence of longstanding age-related conditions such as worsening physical, social, and mental health is expected to increase exponentially with a rapidly aging population (2)(3)(4). This will inevitably cause a surge in the demand for health services, and therefore a pressing need to innovate and develop creative solutions to assuage the strain on the health care system.…”

Soledad Y Fragilidad en Personas Mayores Que Viven en Comunidad: Una Revisión Integrativa

“…De los 17 estudios incluidos en esta revisión, 12 corresponden a estudios de cohorte prospectivo (25)(26)(27)(28)(29)(30)(31)(32)(33)(34)(35)(36)(37) , 4 estudios transversales (38)(39)(40)(41) , y 1 de tipo cualitativo fenomenológico (36) ; según su procedencia, los estudios se desarrollaron principalmente en Asia (25,34,35,37,38,42,43) , Europa (26,27,29,30,36,40) , y América Latina (32) . Las principales características y resultados de los artículos seleccionados se presentan en la tabla N1.…”

“…Año Diseño Resultados País Frailty, Quality of Life, and Loneliness of Aging in Native and Diasporic Chinese Adults (39) 2022 Estudio transversal.…”

“…La fragilidad, la calidad de vida y la soledad estaban más estrechamente relacionadas en la muestra de envejecimiento fuera de lugar China Assessing the psychosocial dimensions of frailty among older adults in Singapore: a community-based cross-sectional study (39) 2022 Estudio transversal.…”

“…En relación con la soledad, la mayoría de los estudios distinguen explícitamente entre la soledad, considerada como un sentimiento subjetivo, y el aislamiento social, entendido como una situación objetiva (25,(27)(28)(29)33,34,39) . Sin embargo, estos estudios no profundizan en ningún marco teórico específico, a excepción de los estudios de Cheung et al (38) y Sjöberg et al (36) .…”