Abstract
BackgroundPrevious research on frailty in older adults has focused on morbidity and mortality. The purpose of this study was to elicit the relationship between being non-frail, pre-frail, or frail and health related quality of life in a representative sample of older Mexican Americans surveyed in 2005–2006.MethodsData were from a representative subsample of the Hispanic Established Populations Epidemiologic Studies of the Elderly (EPESE) and included 1008 older adults living in the community (mean (sd) age = 82.3(4.3)). Multiple regression analyses examined the relationship between frailty status and the eight SF-36 health related quality of life subscales and two summary scales. Models also adjusted for the participants' sociodemographic and health status.ResultsWe found that, after adjusting for sociodemographic and health related covariables, being pre-frail or frail was significantly associated (p < 0.001) with lower scores on all physical and cognitive health related quality of life scales than being non-frail.ConclusionWhen compared to persons who are not frail, older Mexican American individuals identified as frail and pre-frail exhibit significantly lower health related quality of life scores. Future research should assess potential mediating factors in an effort to improve quality of life for frail elders in this population.
Highlights
Previous research on frailty in older adults has focused on morbidity and mortality
The current study examines the relationship between frailty and self-reported health related quality of life (HRQOL) in older Mexican Americans while adjusting for select sociodemographic characteristics and health factors
We found that being pre-frail or frail was significantly associated with lower scores on perceptions of general health, physical function, bodily pain, physical and emotional roles, mental health, vitality, and social function on the Short Form – 36 (SF-36) HRQOL measure compared to those who were non-frail
Summary
Previous research on frailty in older adults has focused on morbidity and mortality. The purpose of this study was to elicit the relationship between being non-frail, pre-frail, or frail and health related quality of life in a representative sample of older Mexican Americans surveyed in 2005–2006. The health of frail older adults limits the amount and scope of activities that they perform [5] These poor outcomes, in turn, can have negative implications on health related quality of life (HRQOL) [6,7,8]. Health related quality of life, involves more than a self-assessment of functional status; it conveys an individual's sense of satisfaction with that level of functioning [9] relative to his or her unique circumstances and values Both frailty and HRQOL vary between individuals with similar health conditions as well as within the same individual over time [10,11].
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