Sleep disturbances in adults with frailty and sarcopenia

Is there a ubiquitous association between sleep disorder and frailty? findings from LASI (2017-18)

BACKGROUND

Relatively little is known about how sleep disorders affect frailty of seniors. The study uses Fried's frailty index, to investigate the relationship between sleep disorder and frailty among older Indian adults.

METHODS

The study analysed Longitudinal Ageing Study in India (2017-18) data which uses a multistage stratified area probability cluster sampling design. The association between frailty was studied for which the total sample size was 31,902. The principal dependent variable was frailty. Descriptive statistics and cross-tabulation were presented in the study. A binary logistic regression analysis was used to fulfil the study objectives to find the possible association.

RESULTS

The prevalence of frailty in India was 21.3 percent. Older adults with sleep disorder had 66 percent higher likelihood to be frail than their counterparts. The benefits of physical activity in containing frailty is huge, the association were quite high. Poor Self-rated health was significantly associated with higher frailty (OR = 1.73; CI = 1.47-2.04).

CONCLUSIONS

Frailty is an enormously growing public health issue and has bi-directional relation with sleep disorders. The study has clinical relevance since sleep complaints offer a means for identifying those who are vulnerable to frailty and through appropriate intervention, the causes of sleep disorder would help to delay and in some cases reverse frailty.

Intensity Matters for Musculoskeletal Health: A Cross-Sectional Study on Movement Behaviors of Older Adults from High-Income Scottish and Low-Income South African Communities

This study aimed to investigate differences in physical activity (PA) patterns and the associations between objectively measured 24-h movement behaviors and musculoskeletal measures (muscle strength, muscle mass, physical performance, and bone mineral density) in a high-income and a low-income community. This cross-sectional study recruited independent living older adults aged 60-85 years from high-income Scottish (n = 150) and low-income South African (n = 138) settings. Participants completed demographic and health questionnaires, and testing included body composition and bone mineral density (dual energy X-ray absorptiometry), physical performance (grip strength, gait speed), and PA (accelerometry). Participants accumulated similar amounts of weekly total PA, however, the Scottish cohort engaged in more moderate-to-vigorous intensity PA (MVPA) and sedentary behavior (SB), while the South African cohort spent more time sleeping and in light intensity PA (LPA). From compositional data analysis, more time spent in MVPA relative to the other movement behaviors was positively associated with higher muscle mass (p < 0.001) and strength (p = 0.001) in the Scottish cohort. Conversely, more time spent in MVPA was associated with faster gait speed (p < 0.001) and greater hip bone mineral density (p = 0.011) in the South African cohort. Our findings confirm the beneficial role of MVPA in both high- and low-income cohorts, however, the relationship MVPA had with components of musculoskeletal health in older adults differed between settings.