Association between changes in social isolation status and frailty among older adults

Considering social isolation in approaches to frailty is important for the early detection of health problems in older adults and the development of appropriate intervention strategies. This study aims to investigate the relationship between changes in social isolation and frailty using the data the Korea Longitudinal Study of Aging (2006-2022).

A longitudinal study was conducted with 17,932 adults aged ≥65 years. Frailty was assessed using the frailty index, changes in social isolation were categorized into four groups. Associations between changes in social isolation and frailty were examined using generalized estimating equations with logistic regression to account for repeated measures and within-subject correlations.

Compared to participants who remained non-isolated, those whose social isolation status changed from a non-isolated to isolated state had 3.47 times higher odds of frailty (95 % confidence interval [CI]: 3.03-3.96), and those in a consistently isolated state had 3.18 times higher odds (95 % CI: 2.80-3.62). Analysis by frailty type indicated that the transition from non-isolated to isolated status exhibited a stronger association with psychological frailty (odds ratio [OR] 4.38, 95 % CI 4.36-4.39) than physical frailty, and the highest increase was observed in the likelihood of exhibiting both physical and psychological frailty (OR 6.81, 95 % CI 6.77-6.84).

The transition to an isolated state was associated with frailty among older adults. These findings emphasize the need for early identification and active interventions to address social isolation to prevent frailty among older adults.