Cognitive frailty among community-dwelling rural elderly population of West Bengal in India

Understanding Frailty: Perspectives and Experiences of Rural Older Adults in India

OBJECTIVES

In India, frailty has been predominantly studied as a physiological aspect, overlooking the subjective perceptions of community-dwelling older adults, which holds global significance. This study aims to explore frailty perceptions among community-dwelling older adults, comparing those enrolled in a geriatric welfare program facility to those not-enrolled.

METHODS

A cross-sectional design with a qualitative descriptive framework was employed, using focus group methodology. The study took place in rural West Bengal, located in eastern India, with a sample of 27 participants aged 60-87 years. Data collection occurred between October 2018 and January 2020, conducted through a face-to-face, semistructured discussion guide. Thematic analysis was performed to ensure data saturation and reliability.

RESULTS

Three key themes emerged from the analysis: (a) Perceptions of frailty were associated with aging, functional dependence, and psychosocial health, (b) Exposure to a scientific definition led to an ideological dilemma influenced by personal experiences, (c) Walking speed and grip strength were prominent components of frailty. The findings revealed that there was no difference in perception between program-enrolled and nonenrolled older adults, likely due to the concept of frailty being new to all participants. However, it was noteworthy that participants enrolled in the welfare program exhibited a resilient mindset toward the definition and demonstrated a proactive interest in preserving their overall health.

DISCUSSION

This novel study underscores the necessity of enhancing community awareness and integrating frailty management into the Indian health care system, which is yet to be fully integrated, aiming to promote the well-being of older adults.

Association between malnutrition and cognitive frailty in older adults: A systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

To systematically assess the association between cognitive frailty (CF) and malnutrition in older adults.

METHODS

8 databases were retrieved up until April 2023 by two reviewers in dependently, and meta-analysis was performed by Stata 16.0 software.

RESULTS

A total of 19 studies were meta-analyzed to assess the relationship between CF and malnutrition in older adults. The pooled prevalence of CF from 17 studies was 23 %, and the pooled prevalence of malnutrition among patients with CF from 12 studies was 57 %. Data from 13 studies on the association between CF and malnutrition unveiled a high risk of CF in older adults with malnutrition (OR = 3.77, 95 % CI: 2.49-5.69).

CONCLUSION

The prevalence of malnutrition is high in older adults with CF, and there is a significant delve into targeted treatment and preventive measures to ameliorate the quality of life of older adults.

Prevalence and risk factors of cognitive frailty among pre-frail and frail older adults in nursing homes

BACKGROUND

The purpose of this research was to stratify the level of frailty to examine the risk factors associated with reversible cognitive frailty (RCF) and potentially reversible cognitive frailty (PRCF) in nursing homes to provide a basis for hierarchical management in different stages of frailty.

METHODS

The study was a cross-sectional study conducted from September to November 2022; 504 people were selected by stratified random sampling after convenience selection from the Home for the Aged Guangzhou. The structured questionnaire survey was conducted through face-to-face interviews using the general data questionnaire, Fried Frailty Phenotype, Montreal Cognitive Assessment Scale.

RESULTS

In total, 452 individuals were included for analysis. A total of 229 cases (50.7%) were PRCF, 70 (15.5%) were RCF. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that in pre-frailty, the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS-15) score (odds ratio (OR) 1.802; 95% CI 1.308-2.483), Instrumental Activities of Daily Living Scale (IADL) score (0.352; 0.135-0.918) and energy (0.288; 0.110-0.755) were influencing factors of RCF. GDS-15 score (1.805; 1.320-2.468), IADL score (0.268; 0.105-0.682), energy (0.377; 0.150-0.947), lack of intellectual activity (6.118; 1.067-35.070), admission time(>3 years) (9.969; 1.893-52.495) and low education (3.465; 1.211-9.912) were influencing factors of PRCF. However, RCF with frailty was associated with the Short-Form Mini-Nutritional Assessment (MNA-SF) score (0.301; 0.123-0.739) and low education time (0 ~ 12 years) (0.021; 0.001-0.826). PRCF with frailty was associated with age (1.327; 1.081-1.629) and weekly exercise time (0.987; 0.979-0.995).

CONCLUSIONS

The prevalence of RCF and PRCF was high among pre-frail and frail older adults in nursing homes. Different levels of frailty had different influencing factors for RCF and PRCF. Depression, daily living ability, energy, intellectual activity, admission time, education level, nutrition status, age and exercise time were associated with RCF and PRCF. Hierarchical management and intervention should be implemented for different stages of frailty to prevent or delay the progression of cognitive frailty.

Associations between frailty and mild cognitive impairment in older adults: Evidence from rural Chiang Mai Province

Thailand entered an aged society phase in 2000, with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and frailty becoming prevalent among the older adult population. However, no studies have yet examined these issues specifically within rural communities. This study aims to explore the relationship between frailty and MCI among older adults in rural Thailand. It was a cross-sectional study conducted between December 2022 and June 2023. A questionnaire was administered by trained village health volunteers. The survey targeted older adults aged 60 years and above, residing in rural Chiang Mai, Thailand, with those having a history of dementia, depression, and brain injury being excluded from participation. Nine hundred eighty-four participants among the older adults were available for analysis. The mean age was 69.8 (SD 7.9) with 62.2% females (n = 612). The median frequency of exercise was three days (0-7). The prevalence of MCI and frailty among rural older adults in the community was 35.6% (n = 350) and 8% (n = 79), respectively. There were four factors associated with an increased risk of MCI, including age (aOR = 1.07, 95% CI 1.04-1.09, p < 0.001), smoking cigarettes (aOR 1.95, 95% CI 1.27-2.98, p = 0.002), feelings of loneliness (aOR 1.43, 95% CI 1.01-2.03, p = 0.043), and the presence of frailty (aOR 1.92, 95% CI 1.10-3.35, p = 0.022). There were two factors associated with a lower risk of MCI: a higher education level (aOR 0.90, 95% CI 0.86-0.94, p <0.001) and engaging in frequent exercise (aOR 0.9, 95% CI 0.86-0.95, p < 0.001). Frailty exhibited an association with an elevated risk of MCI among older adults in rural communities. Enhancing screening through health volunteers and primary healthcare professionals, coupled with bolstering community-driven health promotion initiatives, becomes imperative.

Cognitive status and low sun exposure as frailty major risk factor among older people in a rural area of East Java, Indonesia: A cross-sectional study

AIM

To reveal the prevalence of frailty and factors that strongly affected the frailty condition among older adults in East Java, Indonesia.

METHOD

We conducted a cross-sectional study carried out among 400 older adults aged ≥60 years without any acute illness. Data were collected from rural area in two locations in Malang and Pasuruan, East Java, Indonesia, in 2019-2020. For data collection, we used the sociodemographic profile assessment, Fried frailty phenotype, Geriatric Depression Scale, Mini Mental State assessment, sun exposure, handgrip strength, International Physical Activity Questionnaire, walk score, and body mass index. We used logistic regression statistics for data analysis.

RESULTS

The result showed that 2.5% were robust, 83% were prefrail, and 14.5% were frail. A higher proportion of subjects were aged 60-74 years (83.3%), women (70.3%), with lower educational status (84.5%). Multivariate analysis showed that the intrinsic factors low cognitive status (odds ratio [OR], 3.052 [95% confidence interval (CI), 1.691-5.508]) and older age (OR, 3.073 [95% CI, 1.637-5.767]) were associated with frailty among the older adults in a rural area. Depression was also associated with frailty (OR, 2.458 [95% CI, 0.465-12.985]). From extrinsic factors, we also found that low sun exposure (OR, 2.931 [95% CI, 1.650-5.204]) and unemployment (OR, 1.997 [95% CI, 1.112-3.588]) were associated with frailty.

CONCLUSION

For the Indonesian elderly in this study, low cognitive status, older age, depression, low sun exposure, and unemployment were associated with frailty. Understanding the modifiable risk factors of frailty can provide a valuable reference for future prevention and intervention. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2024; 24: 170-175.

Cognitive frailty and its association with depression, anxiety and stress during the COVID-19 pandemic among older adults in the transforming cognitive frailty into later-life self-sufficiency (AGELESS) study

BACKGROUND

Cognitive frailty describes the co-occurrence of cognitive impairment and physical frailty and is classified into reversible and irreversible phenotypes. Data on the impact of COVID-19 pandemic imposed lockdowns, locally known as the Movement Control Order (MCO), on the psychological status of cognitively frail older adults remain scarce. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the relationship between depression, anxiety, stress and cognitive frailty among older adults during the MCO.

METHOD

Participants aged above 60 years from three ageing cohorts in Malaysia were interviewed virtually. The Fatigue, Resistance, Ambulation, Illness and Loss of Weight scale, blind Montreal Cognitive Assessment, 15-item Geriatric Depression Scale, anxiety subscale of Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale and four-item Perceived Stress Scale measured frailty, mild cognitive impairment (MCI), depression, anxiety and stress, respectively.

RESULTS

Cognitive frailty data were available for 870 participants, age (mean ± SD) = 73.44 ± 6.32 years and 55.6% were women. Fifty-seven (6.6%) were robust, 24 (2.8%) had MCI, 451 (51.8%) were pre-frail, 164 (18.9%) were pre-frail+MCI, 119 (13.7%) were frail and 55 (6.3%) were frail+MCI. There were significant differences in depression and anxiety scores between the controlled MCO and recovery MCO. Using multinomial logistic regression, pre-frail (mean difference (95% confidence interval, CI) = 1.16 (0.932, 1.337), frail (1.49 (1.235, 1.803) and frail+MCI (1.49 (1.225, 1.822)) groups had significantly higher depression scores, frail (1.19 (1.030, 1.373)) and frail+MCI (1.24 (1.065, 1.439)) had significantly higher anxiety scores and pre-frail (1.50 (1.285, 1.761)), frail (1.74 (1.469, 2.062)) and frail+MCI (1.81 (1.508, 2.165)) had significantly higher stress scores upon adjustments for the potential confounders. The MCO was a potential confounder in the relationship between depression and prefrail+MCI (1.08 (0.898, 1.340)).

CONCLUSION

Frail individuals with or without MCI had significantly higher depression, anxiety and stress than those who were robust. Increased depression and stress were also observed in the pre-frail group. Interventions to address psychological issues in older adults during the COVID-19 pandemic could target prefrail and frail individuals and need further evaluation.

Validation of the mild cognitive impairment health literacy assessment scale (MCI-HLA scale) in middle-aged and older adults

OBJECTIVES

Health literacy (HL) is associated with early prevention of mild cognitive impairment (MCI), but a targeted comprehensive assessment tool is lacking. This study aims to psychometrically evaluate the MCI-HLA scale.

METHODS

This observational study was conducted in a tertiary-level hospital's physical examination center from October to December 2020. The middle-aged and older adults (N = 550, aged 41-80 years) completed the MCI-HLA questionnaire online. The validity of the MCI-HLA scale was assessed through content validity, exploratory factor analysis, confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), convergent validity, and discriminant validity. The internal reliability was measured using Cronbach's alpha, McDonald's Omega coefficient, and split-half reliability.

RESULTS

5 factors emerged, naming: Function (7 items), Knowledge (8 items), Practice (8 items), Attitude (4 items), and Motivation (3 items), explaining 72.42% of variance. The CFA revealed that five factors of the MCI-HLA scale fit well (χ2/df=4.076, RMSEA=0.078, SRMR=0.057, CFI=0.904, TLI=0.894). Good convergent validity was suggested by the Average Variance Extracted (AVE) values exceeding 0.50. Discriminant validity was demonstrated for all the square root AVE were higher than the correlation between the two factors. Internal consistency was high (Cronbach's alpha=0.875, McDonald's Omega coefficient=0.910, split-half reliability=0.949).

CONCLUSIONS

The MCI-HLA scale takes on high reliability and validity, suitable for assessing MCI-related health literacy in middle-aged and older adults. The MCI-HLA scale could enhance MCI health literacy assessment and supports tailored interventions for improved outcomes.

Navigating and diagnosing cognitive frailty in research and clinical domains

While physical frailty has been recognized as a clinical entity for some time, the concept of cognitive frailty (CF) is now gaining increasing attention in the geriatrics research community. CF refers to the co-occurrence of physical frailty and cognitive impairment in older adults, which has been suggested as a potential precursor to both dementia and adverse physical outcomes. However, this condition represents a challenge for researchers and clinicians, as there remains a lack of consensus regarding the definition and diagnostic criteria for CF, which has limited its utility. Here, using insights from both the physical frailty literature and cognitive science research, we describe emerging research on CF. We highlight areas of agreement as well as areas of confusion and remaining knowledge gaps, and provide our perspective on fine-tuning the current construct, aiming to stimulate further discussion in this developing field.

Prevalence and related factors of cognitive frailty in diabetic patients in China: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Objective

Cognitive frailty (CF) is characterized by physical frailty and potentially reversible cognitive impairment without Alzheimer's disease and other dementias. Clarifying the prevalence and related factors of cognitive frailty can help researchers understand its epidemiological status and formulate intervention measures. This study aims to conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis of the prevalence and related factors of CF in diabetic patients in Chinas to better understand the current status of CF in diabetic patients in China and develop effective intervention measures for related factors.

Methods

PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, Cochrane Library, CNKI, Weipu(VIP), WANFANG, China Biology Medicine (CBM) and DUXIU were searched to collect epidemiological data on Chinese diabetic patients. Articles published through May 29, 2023, were searched. The number of diabetes with CF and the total number of diabetes in the included studies were extracted to estimate the prevalence of diabetes with CF. For factors related to diabetes with CF, odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were used for estimation.

Results

A total of 248 records were screened, of which 18 met the inclusion criteria. The results of meta-analysis showed that the prevalence of Chinese diabetic patients with CF was 25.8% (95% CI = 19.7 to 31.9%). Subgroup analysis showed that hospital prevalence was higher than in the community and in women than in men. Combined estimates showed that depression, malnutrition, advanced age (≥70, ≥80), combined chronic diseases ≥4 and glycated hemoglobin ≥8.5 were risk factors for CF in diabetics patients in China, with regular exercise and high education level (≥ college) as protective factors.

Conclusion

Cognitive frailty was common in diabetic patients in China. Such populations should be screened early and intervened with relevant factors.Systematic review registration: A systematic review of this study evaluated the registered websites as https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/, CRD42023431396.

Latent Subtype of Cognitive Frailty among Multimorbidity Older Adults and Their Association with Social Relationships

This study aimed to explore all the relevant subtypes of cognitive frailty among Japanese community-dwelling older adults with multimorbidity. Moreover, it examined the associations between these potential subtypes of cognitive frailty and social relationships. This study targeted relevant cross-sectional data regarding community-based older adults with multimorbidity. It employed a person-centered method to perform a latent class analysis and explore the subtypes of cognitive frailty among older adults. Moreover, a multinominal logistic regression analysis was employed to examine the association between potential subtypes of cognitive frailty and social relationships. Data for 396 participants (mean age, 75.8 [SD, 7.3] years; 51.3% females) were analyzed. Three cognitive frailty subtypes were subsequently revealed: the robust group (42.0%), the group with partial cognitive frailty (38.6%), and the group with cognitive frailty (19.4%). People with high levels of social relationships were more likely to be in the robust and the partial cognitive frailty groups. This study identified different subtypes of cognitive frailty among multimorbid older adults and highlighted the significance of social relationships. These findings could serve as a reference for conceptualizing cognitive frailty through the person-centered method. Promoting a high level of social relationships could be useful to prevent the cognitive frailty among older adults with multimorbidity.

Depressive and Biopsychosocial Frailty Phenotypes: Impact on Late-life Cognitive Disorders

 In older age, frailty is a detrimental transitional status of the aging process featuring an increased susceptibility to stressors defined by a clinical reduction of homoeostatic reserves. Multidimensional frailty phenotypes have been associated with all-cause dementia, mild cognitive impairment (MCI), Alzheimer's disease (AD), AD neuropathology, vascular dementia, and non-AD dementias. In the present article, we reviewed current evidence on the existing links among depressive and biopsychosocial frailty phenotypes and late-life cognitive disorders, also examining common pathways and mechanisms underlying these links. The depressive frailty phenotype suggested by the construct of late-life depression (LLD) plus physical frailty is poorly operationalized. The biopsychosocial frailty phenotype, with its coexistent biological/physical and psychosocial dimensions, defines a biological aging status and includes motivational, emotional, and socioeconomic domains. Shared biological pathways/substrates among depressive and biopsychosocial frailty phenotypes and late-life cognitive disorders are hypothesized to be inflammatory and cardiometabolic processes, together with multimorbidity, loneliness, mitochondrial dysfunction, dopaminergic neurotransmission, specific personality traits, lack of subjective/objective social support, and neuroendocrine dysregulation. The cognitive frailty phenotype, combining frailty and cognitive impairment, may be a risk factor for LLD and vice versa, and a construct of depressive frailty linking physical frailty and LLD may be a good dementia predictor. Frailty assessment may enable clinicians to better target the pharmacological and psychological treatment of LLD. Given the epidemiological links of biopsychosocial frailty with dementia and MCI, multidomain interventions might contribute to delay the onset of late-life cognitive disorders and other adverse health-related outcomes, such as institutionalization, more frequent hospitalization, disability, and mortality.

Prevalence of cognitive frailty among older adults in China: a systematic review and meta-analysis

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of cognitive frailty among older adults in China.

DESIGN

Systematic review and meta-analysis.

METHODS

We searched the Cochrane Library, PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, China National Knowledge Infrastructure(CNKI), Wanfang, Chinese Biomedical Literature and Weipu (VIP) databases to collect information on the epidemiology of cognitive frailty among older adults in China. The study period was from the establishment of the database to March 2022. Two researchers independently screened the literature, extracted the data and assessed the risk of bias in the included studies. All statistical analyses were performed using Stata V.15.0.

RESULTS

We screened 522 records, of which 28 met the inclusion criteria. The results of the meta-analysis showed that the prevalence of cognitive frailty among older adults in China was 15%(95%CI (0.13%,0.17%)). The prevalence of cognitive frailty was higher in hospitals and nursing homes than in communities. Moreover, the prevalence of cognitive frailty was higher in women than in men. Furthermore, the prevalence rates of cognitive frailty in North China Hospital, older adults aged≥80 years, and illiterate individuals were 25%, 29%, and 55%, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

In conclusion, in China, the prevalence of cognitive frailty is higher among older adults, is higher in women than in men, is higher in hospitals and nursing homes than in communities, and is higher in North China than other regions. Moreover, the higher the educational level, the lower the prevalence of cognitive frailty. Multimodal interventions for cognitive frailty, including increased exercise, nutritional support, increased socialisation opportunities and multifactorial strategies, may be effective in preventing cognitive frailty. These findings have important implications for adjusting healthcare and social care systems.

PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER

CRD42023390486.

Association of depression with cognitive frailty: A systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND AND AIM

The relationship between cognitive frailty and depression is unclear and quantitative analyses are lacking. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to investigate the relationship between cognitive frailty and depression.

METHODS

We systematically searched Embase, PubMed, Medline (Ovid), Web of Science, and APA PsycInfo (American Psychological Association PsycInfo) databases until April 2022. Meta-analysis was performed using the Stata software. The prevalence between cognitive frailty and depression them was estimated by extracting the proportion of cognitive frailty and depression in the total number of patients. We extracted odds ratios (ORs) and 95 % confidence intervals (CI) to estimate the relationship between cognitive frailty and depression.

RESULTS

A meta-analysis of 15 studies revealed that cognitive frailty in older adults was associated with a higher risk of depression (OR = 2.06, 95 % CI = 1.72-2.48, p = 0.001). Eight studies involved the prevalence of cognitive frailty and depression, with an overall prevalence of depression of 46 % (95 % CI, 30 % -62 %; p < 0.0001) in cognitively frail patients.

LIMITATION

Differences in definitions and assessment methods for cognitive frailty across studies.

CONCLUSION

The prevalence of cognitive frailty combined with depression in the elderly is high wherein both are mutually affected. More prospective studies are needed to investigate the relationship between cognitive frailty and depression and to propose targeted treatment options and preventive measures to improve the quality of life of the elderly population.