Bidirectional relationship between subjective age and frailty: a prospective cohort study

Area of Science:

• Gerontology
• Public Health
• Biomedical Science

Background:

• Subjective age, or how old one feels, is linked to various health indicators.
• Frailty is a significant concern in older adults, impacting health and independence.
• The relationship between subjective age and frailty requires further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine the bidirectional association between subjective age and frailty.
• To investigate this relationship in community-dwelling older adults.

Main Methods:

• Utilized data from the National Health and Aging Trends Study (2011-2015).
• Included 2,592 community-dwelling older adults.
• Measured subjective age via self-report and frailty using five phenotypic criteria (exhaustion, weight loss, low physical activity, slow gait, weak grip strength).
• Employed generalized estimating equation models to analyze concurrent and lagged associations.

Main Results:

• The average participant age was 75.2 years; 76% were non-Hispanic white and 58% were female.
• 77% of participants felt younger than their chronological age.
• An older subjective age was associated with a higher likelihood of pre-frailty and frailty (OR=1.93, 95% CI=1.45-2.56).

Conclusions:

• Older subjective age is a predictor of increased pre-frailty and frailty.
• Subjective age can be a valuable, cost-effective tool for screening individuals at risk of frailty.
• This highlights the importance of perceived age in geriatric health assessments.