Impact of kidney function and leisure activities on disability risk among community-dwelling older adults

Impaired kidney function has been shown to be associated with both leisure activity participation and disability incidence. However, whether kidney function could influence the association between leisure activity and disability incidence in older adults remains unclear. Therefore, in the present study, we aimed to examine the influence of kidney function on the association between leisure activities and incident disability among community-dwelling older adults.

We enrolled 16,354 community-dwelling older adults from the National Center for Geriatrics and Gerontology-Study of Geriatric Syndromes. The estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) was determined based on creatinine levels; the participants were classified into two categories: eGFR ≥ 60 mL/min/1.73 m² and eGFR < 60 mL/min/1.73 m². Participants' engagement in 15 leisure activities was assessed through interviews. Disability incidence was determined using data from Japan's long-term care insurance system.

Overall, 786 (5.0%) patients developed a disability within 24 (interquartile range 24-24) months. Using Cox proportional hazards regression models adjusted for potential confounders, low leisure activity participation was identified as a significant factor for increased risk of disability (hazard ratio 1.25; 95% confidence interval 1.04-1.50) independent of eGFR. No significant interaction was observed between eGFR and leisure activity participation (P = 0.66).

In this study, leisure activity was associated with the risk of disability incidence independent of kidney function among community-dwelling older adults. These findings suggest that assessing leisure activity might be important for identifying the risk of disability in this population.