Predicting Social Frailty in Older Adults Using Fitbit-Derived Circadian and Heart Rate Biomarkers: Cross-Sectional...

Area of Science:

• Gerontology
• Digital Health
• Biomarkers

Background:

• Social frailty is a risk for older adults, requiring early detection.
• Wearable devices offer continuous data collection for digital biomarker development.
• Screening social frailty in older adults using digital biomarkers is a growing area of research.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore digital biomarkers for social frailty using Fitbit data.
• To evaluate the relationship between these digital biomarkers and health outcomes in older adults.

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional study of 102 community-dwelling older adults.
• Participants wore Fitbit Inspire devices for 7 days, collecting step count and heart rate.
• Social frailty, physical and cognitive functions were assessed via questionnaires.

Main Results:

• Step-based rhythm metric (intradaily coefficient of variation) linked to social frailty.
• Heart rate metrics (delta resting heart rate) associated with social prefrailty and frailty.
• Intradaily coefficient of variation correlated with cognitive decline (word list memory).

Conclusions:

• Novel rhythm and heart rate metrics from Fitbit data are associated with social frailty.
• Consumer wearables show promise for accessible social frailty assessment via digital biomarkers.
• Future research should focus on larger samples and clinical applications.