The association between the number of life births and certain frailty dimensions

Hajek, André; König, Hans‐Helmut

doi:10.1016/j.archger.2022.104759

Cited by 3 publications

(3 citation statements)

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“…Two observational studies also reported that having more children was associated with a higher risk of frailty ( Kojima et al , 2020 ; Taci et al , 2023 ). However, Andre Hajek found that having more children was associated with a lower risk of slowness and poor grip strength ( Hajek and König, 2022 ), two of the indices for physical frailty. In our study, we observed that having two or three children was associated with 50% lower odds of physical frailty and 25% lower odds of comprehensive frailty.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Compared to previous studies, our study accounted for a broader range of potential confounders, particularly the interplay between individual reproductive factors. The connection between more children and reduced frailty in older women could be related to the enhanced social support and social interaction in their later life, which may delay the progression of frailty ( Ding et al , 2017 ; Hajek and König, 2022 ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Reproductive factors and their association with physical and comprehensive frailty in middle-aged and older women: a large-scale population-based study

Hao,

Wang,

et al. 2024

Human Reproduction Open

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STUDY QUESTION Are women’s reproductive factors associated with physical frailty and comprehensive frailty in middle-age and later life? SUMMARY ANSWER Early menarche at <13 years, age at menopause <45 years, surgical menopause, experiencing miscarriage and a shorter reproductive period of <35 years were associated with increased odds of frailty, while having two or three children was related to decreased likelihood of frailty. WHAT IS KNOWN ALREADY Evidence has shown that women are frailer than men in all age groups and across different populations, although women have longer lifespans. Female-specific reproductive factors may be related to risk of frailty in women. STUDY DESIGN, SIZE, DURATION A population-based cross-sectional study involved 189 898 women from the UK Biobank. PARTICIPANTS/MATERIALS, SETTING, METHODS Frailty phenotype and frailty index were used to assess physical frailty and comprehensive frailty (assessed using 38 health indicators for physical and mental wellbeing), respectively. Multivariable logistic regression models were used to estimate odds ratios (ORs) and 95% CI between reproductive factors and likelihood of physical frailty and comprehensive frailty. Restricted cubic spline models were used to test the non-linear associations between them. In addition, we examined the combined effect of categorized age at menopause and menopause hormone therapy (MHT) on frailty. MAIN RESULTS AND THE ROLE OF CHANCE There was a J-shape relationship between age at menarche, reproductive period, and frailty; age at menarche <13 years and >16 years, and reproductive period <35 years or >40 years were all associated with increased odds of frailty. There was a negative linear relationship between menopausal age (either natural or surgical) and odds of frailty. Surgical menopause was associated with 30% higher odds of physical frailty (1.34, 1.27–1.43) and 30% higher odds of comprehensive frailty (1.30, 1.25–1.35). Having two or three children was linked to the lowest likelihood of physical frailty (0.48, 0.38–0.59) and comprehensive frailty (0.72, 0.64–0.81). Experiencing a miscarriage increased the odds of frailty. MHT use was linked to increased odds of physical frailty in women with normal age at natural menopause (after 45 years), while no elevated likelihood was observed in women with early natural menopause taking MHT. LIMITATIONS, REASONS FOR CAUTION The reproductive factors were self-reported and the data might be subject to recall bias. We lacked information on the types and initiation time of MHT, could not identify infertile women who later became pregnant, and the number of infertile women may be underestimated. Individuals participating in the UK Biobank are not representative of the general UK population, limiting the generalization of our findings. WIDER IMPLICATION OF THE FINDINGS The reproductive factors experienced by women throughout their life course can potentially predict frailty in middle and old age. Identifying these reproductive factors as potential predictors of frailty can inform healthcare providers and policymakers about the importance of considering a woman’s reproductive history when assessing their risk for frailty. STUDY FUNDING/COMPETING INTEREST(S) This work was supported by the National Key Research and Development Program of China (2022YFC2703800), National Natural Science Foundation of China (82273702), Science Fund Program for Excellent Young Scholars of Shandong Province (Overseas) (2022HWYQ-030), Taishan Scholars Project Special Fund (No. tsqnz20221103), and the Qilu Young Scholar (Tier-1) Program (202099000066). All authors have no conflicts of interest to declare. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER N/A.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Reproductive factors and their association with physical and comprehensive frailty in middle-aged and older women: a large-scale population-based study

Hao,

Wang,

et al. 2024

Human Reproduction Open

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“…In a study involving 488 women aged ≥ 65 years, Hajek et al found that women having ≥ 3 live births had an increased probability of general frailty, prolonged timed stand-and-go test scores, and lower grip strength compared with women who have not given birth to a live child (10). In another study on 2,060 women aged > 60 years who were followed prospectively for 14 years, Kojima et al showed a signi cant correlation between a higher number of pregnancies and higher FI scores (11).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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

KOÇ

Vardal

Akın

et al. 2023

Preprint

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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.

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Reproductive factors and risk of physical frailty among Chinese women living in Singapore

Ho,

Chua,

Song

et al. 2024

The Journal of nutrition, health and aging

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The association between the number of life births and certain frailty dimensions

Cited by 3 publications

References 29 publications

Reproductive factors and their association with physical and comprehensive frailty in middle-aged and older women: a large-scale population-based study

Reproductive factors and their association with physical and comprehensive frailty in middle-aged and older women: a large-scale population-based study

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

Reproductive factors and risk of physical frailty among Chinese women living in Singapore

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