Relationship of the Number of Children and Child Sex with Frailty among Older Turkish Parents

Abstract

Background: The increasing global population and prolongation of lifespan has led to frailty becoming an important health problem. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the effects of having living and deceased children on frailty among older parents. Methods: A total of 98 patients aged ≥65 years were included in the study. Data on the number of male, female, and deceased children were obtained. All patients were evaluated for frailty using the FRAIL Index (FI) and Tilburg Frailty Indicator (TFI). This study is prospective. Results: A weak, positive correlation was found between the total number of children and FI in female participants (r: 0.435; P = 0.001; P< 0.01), whereas a weak, positive correlation was noted between the number of female children and FI (r: 0.400; P = 0.001; P < 0.01). No statistically significant correlation was found between the number of male children and FI (P > 0.05). A moderately positive and statistically significant relationship was also found between the number of deceased children and FI (r: 0.517; P = 0.001; P < 0.01). Frailty ratios did not significantly differ based on the number of male, female, and deceased children (P > 0.05). A weak, positive correlation was found between the number of male children and TFI (r: 0.369; P = 0.029; P < 0.05). Conclusions: We showed that having female children in women and male children in men increases the risk of frailty among older Turkish parents. Additionally, having a deceased child increases the probability of frailty among older mothers. Therefore, the “child” factor should be given importance when evaluating frailty risk in older individuals.