Screening for Pre-Frailty Using Phase Angle Derived from Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis in Community-Dwelling Older...

Area of Science:

• Gerontology
• Biomedical Engineering
• Public Health

Background:

• Pre-frailty is a critical condition in community-dwelling older adults, increasing the risk of frailty and adverse health outcomes.
• Early identification of pre-frailty is essential for timely intervention and prevention strategies.
• Bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) offers a non-invasive method for assessing body composition and cellular integrity.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the utility of phase angle (PhA), derived from BIA, as a screening indicator for pre-frailty in community-dwelling older adults.
• To assess the correlation between PhA and various physical function parameters.
• To determine the discriminative ability of PhA in identifying individuals with pre-frailty.

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional study involving 171 community-dwelling older adults in Japan.
• Measurement of PhA at 50 kHz using BIA.
• Assessment of physical function (maximum walking speed, TUG, grip strength, knee extension strength, one-leg stance), cognitive function (MoCA-J), and frailty status using the Kihon Checklist (KCL).

Main Results:

• PhA demonstrated significant correlations with key physical function measures, including grip strength (r=0.54), Motor Fitness Scale (r=0.36), and maximum walking speed (r=0.20).
• In women, PhA was independently associated with pre-frailty (age-adjusted OR: 2.38).
• Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis indicated a modest discriminative ability for PhA in identifying pre-frailty (AUC=0.65).

Conclusions:

• PhA shows promise as a simple, non-invasive screening indicator for pre-frailty in community settings, correlating well with physical function.
• The modest discriminative ability of PhA suggests it may not be sufficient as a standalone screening tool.
• Combining PhA with other clinical indicators is recommended for enhanced clinical application in pre-frailty screening.