The relationship between frailty, health literacy, and medication adherence in older adults

Frailty is a significant syndrome in aging, influenced by multiple factors. Timely identification of older adults at risk of frailty, along with appropriate interventions, can mitigate their adverse health consequences. This study examined the relationship between frailty, health literacy, and medication adherence among older adults.

This cross-sectional study included 210 older adults (aged 60 and above) recruited from the Tabriz Education and Training Center for Retirees. Data were collected using the Tilburg Frailty Index (TFI), Test of Functional Health Literacy in Adults (TOFHLA), the Morisky, Green, and Levine (MGL) adherence scale, and a general information questionnaire. Data analysis was performed in SPSS v.27 using Spearman's correlation tests, independent t-tests, ANOVA, and logistic regression.

The mean age of the participants in this study was 68.92 ± 6.42. Of the participants, 125 (59.5%) were female and 85 (40.5%) were male, with 74.5% being married. Approximately 42% of the older adults were frail, and about 95% of them had high medication adherence. Also, 49.5% of the participants had sufficient health literacy. The findings of logistic regression analysis showed health literacy also had an apparent protective effect on frailty (OR = 0.024, P < 0.001), and an unhealthy lifestyle was significantly associated with frailty (OR = 51.896, P < 0.001).

There is a relationship between unhealthy lifestyle, health literacy, and frailty in older adults. Health literacy may serve as an apparent protective factor against frailty. An unhealthy lifestyle could exacerbate frailty. Therefore, healthcare providers should focus on enhancing health literacy and a healthy lifestyle to prevent frailty in this population.