Frailty transitions predict healthcare use and Medicare payments in older Mexican Americans: a longitudinal cohort study

Healthcare Utilization and Costs According to Frailty Transitions After Two Years: A Korean Frailty and Aging Cohort Study

BACKGROUND

Korea's aging population has raised several challenges, especially concerning healthcare costs. Consequently, this study evaluated the association of frailty transitions with healthcare utilization and costs for older adults aged 70 to 84.

METHODS

This study linked the frailty status data of the Korean Frailty and Aging Cohort Study to the National Health Insurance Database. We included 2,291 participants who had frailty measured by Fried Frailty phenotype at baseline in 2016-2017 and follow-up in 2018-2019. We conducted a multivariate regression analysis to determine the association between their healthcare utilization and costs by frailty transition groups.

RESULTS

After 2 years, changes from "pre-frail" to "frail" (Group 6) and "frail" to "pre-frail" (Group 8) were significantly associated with increased inpatient days (P < 0.001), inpatient frequency (P < 0.001), inpatient cost (P < 0.001 and P < 0.01, respectively), and total healthcare cost (P < 0.001) than "robust" to "robust" (Group 1) older adults. A transition to frailty from "pre-frail" to "frail" (Group 6) resulted in a $2,339 total healthcare cost increase, and from "frail" to "pre-frail" (Group 8), a $1,605, compared to "robust" to "robust" older adults.

CONCLUSION

Frailty among community-dwelling older adults is economically relevant. Therefore, it is crucial to study the burden of medical expenses and countermeasures for older adults to not only provide appropriate medical services but also to prevent the decline in their living standards due to medical expenses.

Missing data approaches in longitudinal studies of aging: A case example using the National Health and Aging Trends Study

PURPOSE

Missing data is a key methodological consideration in longitudinal studies of aging. We described missing data challenges and potential methodological solutions using a case example describing five-year frailty state transitions in a cohort of older adults.

METHODS

We used longitudinal data from the National Health and Aging Trends Study, a nationally-representative cohort of Medicare beneficiaries. We assessed the five components of the Fried frailty phenotype and classified frailty based on their number of components (robust: 0, prefrail: 1-2, frail: 3-5). One-, two-, and five-year frailty state transitions were defined as movements between frailty states or death. Missing frailty components were imputed using hot deck imputation. Inverse probability weights were used to account for potentially informative loss-to-follow-up. We conducted scenario analyses to test a range of assumptions related to missing data.

RESULTS

Missing data were common for frailty components measured using physical assessments (walking speed, grip strength). At five years, 36% of individuals were lost-to-follow-up, differentially with respect to baseline frailty status. Assumptions for missing data mechanisms impacted inference regarding individuals improving or worsening in frailty.

CONCLUSIONS

Missing data and loss-to-follow-up are common in longitudinal studies of aging. Robust epidemiologic methods can improve the rigor and interpretability of aging-related research.

Effects of social activity participation and trust in the community on the transition of frailty classification in late-stage older adults: a 4-year prospective cohort study

OBJECTIVES

In Japan, frailty is a major risk factor for requiring long-term care, especially among older adults aged 75 years or older (ie, late-stage older adults). Both physical and social factors (eg, social activities, social support and community trust) are protective factors against frailty. However, few longitudinal studies have examined reversible change or stage improvement in frailty. This study investigated social activity participation and trust in the community that may affect the transition of late-stage older adults' frailty status.

DESIGN

A mail-based survey was used to analyse the improvement or deterioration of frailty status (categorised as frailty, pre-frailty and robust) over a 4-year period. Binomial and multinomial logistic regression analyses were conducted; the transition in frailty classification was the dependent variable, while a change in social activity participation and the degree of trust in the community were the independent variables.

SETTING

Ikoma City, Nara Prefecture, Japan.

PARTICIPANTS

4249 community-dwelling older adults, aged ≥75 years, not requiring long-term care who completed a follow-up questionnaire from April to May 2016.

RESULTS

Adjusting for confounding factors, no significant social factors were detected regarding improvement in frailty. However, an increase in exercise-based social participation was an improvement factor in the pre-frailty group (OR 2.43 (95% CI 1.08 to 5.45)). Conversely, a decrease in community-based social activity was a risk factor in the deterioration from pre-frailty to frailty (OR 0.46 (95% CI 0.22 to 0.93)). In the robust group, increased community-based social activity (OR 1.38 (95% CI 1.00 to 1.90)) was a protective factor against frailty, whereas decreased community trust was a risk factor (OR 1.87 (95% CI 1.38 to 2.52)).

CONCLUSIONS

No social factors had a significant influence on the improvement of frailty in late-stage older adults. However, the promotion of exercise-based social participation was found to be important for improvement in the pre-frailty state.

TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER

UMIN000025621.

Factors associated with frailty transitions among the old-old in a community

AIM

The study aimed to explore the factors associated with frailty transitions among the old-old (aged ≥75 years) in a community.

METHODS

The participants were all from a prospective cohort study in a community in Beijing, China. Frailty states were assessed using FRAIL at baseline and at 1-year follow-up. The association between factors, including comprehensive geriatric assessment and laboratory indicators, and frailty transitions were explored by binary logistic regression. The predicted value of the factors associated with frailty transitions was analyzed using the receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) and the area under the ROC (AUC) for each factor was calculated.

RESULTS

In total, 183 older adults (mean age: 83.9 ± 4.4 years; women, 59%) completed the frailty state assessment at baseline and 1-year follow-up. After adjusting for age and sex, physical function, including walking speed, timed up-and-go test and short physical performance battery, serum albumin and serum high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) were associated with worsening of the frailty state. Cognitive function was associated with improving the frailty state. ROC analysis showed that low walking speed (AUC: 0.81), long timed up-and-go test time (AUC: 0.77), low short physical performance battery score (AUC: 0.75), low serum albumin (AUC: 0.68) and high serum hsCRP (AUC: 0.80) could predict the decline in frailty state. Good cognitive function (AUC: 0.69) predicted an improvement in the frailty state.

CONCLUSIONS

The frailty state of the old-old with poor physical function, low serum albumin and high serum hsCRP was likely to decline, but it could improve with good cognitive function. Geriatr Gerontol Int ••; ••: ••-•• Geriatr Gerontol Int 2023; ••: ••-••.

Frailty among older Hispanics living in the United States: A scoping review

A scoping review was conducted to identify the available evidence about frailty among older Hispanics living in the U.S. using the Integral Model of Frailty. A not time-limited search was conducted in five peer-reviewed databases. Identified factors associated with frailty among older Hispanics are presented in four categories: (1) Characteristics and prevalence of frailty, (2) Life course determinants of frailty, (3) Comorbidities associated with frailty, and (4) Adverse outcomes of frailty. A total of 1030 articles were identified, and 37 articles were included in the scoping review. Most studies measured frailty based on the Fried Frailty Phenotype (59.5%, n= 22) and had a longitudinal design (64.9%, n= 24). The overall prevalence of frailty among Hispanics ranged from 4.3% to 37.1% (n= 20 studies). Further research is needed that targets Hispanics from different backgrounds in the U.S., particularly those that are high in number (i.e., Mexicans, Puerto Ricans, and Central Americans).

Catastrophic Health Expenditure Associated With Frailty in Community-Dwelling Chinese Older Adults: A Prospective Cohort Analysis

Background: Catastrophic health expenditure (CHE) represents a key indicator for excessive financial burden due to out-of-pocket (OOP) healthcare costs, which could push the household into poverty and is highly pronounced in households with members at an advanced age. Previous studies have been devoted to understanding the determinants for CHE, yet little evidence exists on its association with frailty, an important geriatric syndrome attracting growing recognition. We thus aim to examine the relationship between frailty and CHE and to explore whether this effect is moderated by socioeconomic-related factors. Methods: A total of 3,277 older adults were drawn from two waves (2011 and 2013) of the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS). CHE was defined when OOP healthcare expenditure exceeded a specific proportion of the capacity of the household to pay. Frailty was measured following the Fried Phenotype (FP) scale. Mixed-effects logistic regression models were employed to assess the longitudinal relationship between frailty and CHE, and stratification analyses were conducted to explore the moderation effect. Results: The incidence of CHE among Chinese community-dwelling older adults was 21.76% in 2011 and increased to 26.46% in 2013. Compared with non-frail individuals, prefrail or frail adults were associated with higher odds for CHE after controlling for age, gender, residence, education, marriage, income, health insurance, smoking, drinking, and comorbidity (prefrail: odds ratio (OR) = 1.32, 95%CI = 1.14-1.52; frail: OR = 1.67, 95%CI = 1.13-2.47). Three frailty components including weakness, exhaustion, and shrinking contributed to a significantly increased likelihood of CHE (all p < 0.05), while the other two components including slowness and inactivity showed a non-significant effect (all p > 0.05). Similar effects from frailty on CHE were observed across socioeconomic-related subgroups differentiated by gender, residence, education, household income, and social health insurance. Conclusions: Frailty is a significant predictor for CHE in China. Developing and implementing cost-effective strategies for the prevention and management of frailty is imperative to protect households from financial catastrophe.

Home environment and frailty in very old adults

Background

Since older adults spend much time in their home environment (HE), frailty may occur as a consequence of a maladaptation to the HE. The aim of this study was to describe the prevalence of frailty in the very old population of North Rhine-Westphalia, and to examine the association between the HE and the frailty levels of these individuals.

Methods

Data from a cross-sectional representative study were used, including data on 1577 community-dwelling individuals and nursing home residents aged ≥ 80 years. Objective and subjective HE aspects were included. Frailty was defined according to four criteria: exhaustion, unintentional weight loss, weakness, and low physical activity. Adjusted multinomial regression modelling was used to analyze the link between the HE and frailty levels.

Results

Of the very old individuals, 24.3% were robust, 57.0% were prefrail, and 18.7% were frail. Adjusting for relevant sociodemographic and health characteristics, being not closely attached to the HE was linked with an increased probability of being prefrail and frail. An improvement of the residential area was associated with a decrease in odds of being frail. Living in communities with less than 50,000 and with 100,000–499,999 inhabitants decreased the odds of being frail.

Discussion

Frailty prevalence is shown to be higher in the very old population than in the younger age groups in Germany. Early identification of frailty and tailored interventions focused on improving objective and subjective attributes of the HE are needed to reduce the risk of frailty.

Supplementary Information

The online version of this article (10.1007/s00391-021-01969-6) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Frailty Predicts Increased Health Care Utilization Among Community-Dwelling Older Adults: A Longitudinal Study in China

OBJECTIVES

Frailty, a multidimensional syndrome characterized by vulnerability to stressors, is an emerging public health priority with high prevalence in older adults. Frailty has been identified to predictive negative health outcomes, yet quantified evidence regarding its effect on health care systems is scarce. This study examines how frailty affects health care utilization, and explores whether these associations varied by gender.

DESIGN

Cohort study with a 2-year follow-up.

SETTING

and Participants: Data were derived from 2 waves (2011 and 2013) of the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study, and 3119 community-dwelling participants aged ≥60 years were analyzed.

METHODS

Frailty was assessed by a validated frailty phenotype scale, and measures for health care utilization were self-reported. Panel data approach of mixed-effects regression models was used to examine the associations.

RESULTS

Longitudinal results demonstrated that compared with robustness, prefrailty and frailty were both significantly associated with increased likelihood of outpatient visit, inpatient visit, and inpatient length of stay, even after adjusting for multimorbidity in multivariate analyses (all P < .05). Every 1-component increase in frailty was also found to significantly increase the risk for health care utilization [any outpatient visit: adjusted odds ratio (OR) 1.30, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.14-1.48; number of outpatient visits: adjusted incident rate ratio (IRR) 1.34, 95% CI 1.18-1.53; any inpatient visit: adjusted OR 1.44, 95% CI 1.22-1.71; number of inpatient visits: adjusted IRR 1.40, 95% CI 1.20-1.62; inpatient length of stay: adjusted IRR 1.50, 95% CI 1.18-1.92]. The preceding associations were similarly observed irrespective of gender.

CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS

Frailty is a significant predictor for increased health care utilization among community-dwelling older adults. These findings have important implications for routine clinical practice and public health investment. Early screening and intervention for potentially modifiable frailty could translate into considerable savings for households and health care systems.