Group Characteristics by Self-Rated Health Trajectories Among Frail Older Adults: A Group-based Trajectory Modeling...

Area of Science:

• Gerontology
• Public Health
• Health Services Research

Background:

• Frail older adults exhibit diverse trajectories of self-rated health (SRH).
• Understanding factors influencing these SRH patterns is crucial for effective interventions.
• Sociodemographic and health-related factors play a significant role in SRH changes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify distinct self-rated health (SRH) trajectories in frail older adults.
• To examine sociodemographic and health-related factors associated with different SRH trajectory groups.

Main Methods:

• Secondary analysis of the Korean Longitudinal Study of Aging (KLoSA) data (Waves 5-9).
• Included 552 community-dwelling adults aged 65+ meeting frailty criteria.
• Group-based trajectory modeling and multinomial logistic regression were employed.

Main Results:

• Five distinct SRH trajectories were identified: Low-Declining, Increasing, Decline-Then-Increasing, Moderate-Declining, and High-Declining.
• Lower physical activity, social participation, and income were associated with the Low-Declining SRH group.
• The Increasing SRH group had more women and lower income, while the Moderate-Declining group showed lower social participation and higher hypertension prevalence.

Conclusions:

• Frail older adults display heterogeneous self-rated health (SRH) trajectories.
• Social participation, health behaviors, and economic resources are key determinants of SRH patterns.
• SRH can be a valuable screening tool for identifying high-risk individuals and tailoring community care.