• Korean Journal of Community Nutrition
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• v.26 no.5
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• pp.382-395
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• 2021

Objectives: This study examined the nutritional status according to frailty status in the elderly at home. Methods: The participants were a total of 76 elderly at home living in Seo-gu, Gwangju, Korea. The nutritional status and frailty status were analyzed using the Nutrition Quotient for Elderly (NQ-E) and the Korean version of the Fatigue, Resistance, Ambulation, Illnesses and Loss of weight Scale (K-FRAIL), respectively. Results: The distribution of frailty status was robust (17.1%), pre-frailty (38.2%) and frailty (44.7%), and its distribution was significantly different in genders, age groups and the number of medications. The mean NQ-E score was 47.0 for total subjects, indicating a low grade. The scores of balance, diversity and dietary behavior factors were within the low grade, while the score of the moderation factor was within the medium-high grade. According to the frailty status, pre-frailty and frailty showed significantly higher scores for sugar-added beverages intake in the moderation constructs than robust. Robust showed significantly higher scores for the exercise hours and perception level for one's health than pre-frailty and frailty. Conclusions: These results suggest that nutrition status is associated with frailty status. Regular nutrition education and visiting nutrition service should be established to improve the balance and diversity of food intake and improve the dietary behavior of the elderly at home.

• 한국노년학
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• v.41 no.3
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• pp.295-308
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• 2021

This study is a descriptive study conducted to find out the predictive factors according to the level of the frailty of the communitydwelling older adult in a rural area. Data were collected from 400 older adults aged 65 years or older living in rural areas of Gyeongsangnam-do from October 2019 to March 2020. Data were analyzed using logistic regression to examine the predictive factors according to the level of frailty. The results showed that 27.8% for robust older adults, 30.9% for pre-frailty older adults, and 41.3% for frailty older adults. As a result of analyzing the predictive factors according to the level of frailty, the predictors from the robust stage to the pre-frailty stage were grip strength, nutritional status, and depression. The predictive factors for entering the pre-frailty stage into the frailty stage were gender, nutritional status, physical performance ability, and depression. Also, it was found that the predictive factors for entering from the robust stage to the frailty stage were sex, occupation, nutritional status, physical performance ability, and depression. Through this study, it was possible to understand the level of the frailty of the older adults living in rural communities and the effects of multidimensional variables. These results can be used as basic data necessary to find a way to prevent and manage the progression of frailty among older adults in rural areas.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.17 no.5
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• pp.1007-1018
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• 2023

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to examine whether the tailored home-delivered meal (HDM) services included nutrition counseling impacts alleviating self-rated frailty among low-income older adults in Korea. SUBJECTS/METHODS: Pre- and post-test were implemented on May 27 and on November 25 in 2019 during 3 weeks, respectively, before and after the 6 months intervention program. Participants completed a questionnaire measuring frailty, malnutrition, food security, depression, and underlying diseases. Initially, 136 older adults were selected as participants for this study, they were recipients of a free meal program from 2 senior welfare centers in Seoul, the final sample size of those who completed the intervention program was 117 (female 70.9%, male 29.1%). Statistical analyses were conducted with IBM SPSS package program, paired t-test and χ² test to validate the test. RESULTS: There were statistically significant differences in the score of the Tilburg Frailty Indicator (TFI) before and after receiving the tailored HDM services (pre-test 9.46, post-test 2.8, P < 0.01). The differences in the score of TFI by 3 risk groups at the pre-test decreased as a result of receiving these services. CONCLUSIONS: The tailored HDM services alleviated the self-rated frailty of low-income older adults with limited mobility in a community setting. Based on the positive outcomes this study could be applied to developing social services for aging in place.

• International Journal of Heart Failure
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• v.6 no.3
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• pp.107-116
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• 2024

Frailty is highly prevalent among patients with heart failure (HF) and independently predicts adverse outcomes. However, optimal frailty definitions, assessments, and management in HF remain unclear. Frailty is common in HF, affecting up to 80% of patients depending on population characteristics. Even pre-frailty doubles mortality risk versus robust patients. Frailty worsens HF prognosis through systemic inflammation, neurohormonal changes, sarcopenia, and micronutrient deficiency. Simple screening tools like gait speed and grip strength predict outcomes but lack HF-specificity. Comprehensive geriatric assessment is ideal but not always feasible. Exercise, nutrition, poly-pharmacy management, and multidisciplinary care models can help stablize frailty components and improve patient-centred outcomes. Frailty frequently coexists with and exacerbates HF. Routine frailty screening should guide supportive interventions to optimize physical, cognitive, and psychosocial health. Further research on HF-specific frailty assessment tools and interventions is warranted to reduce this dual burden.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Rural Health Nursing
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.18-28
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• 2021

Purpose: This study attempted to confirm whether the suicide prevention effect could be achieved by managing the frailty of the elderly in rural areas. Methods: This study is a single-group pre-post study design. The frailty management program was applied twice a week for 12 weeks for the vulnerable elderly in the rural area from 16th April to 31st May in 2020. The program consisted of physical exercise, health education on nutrition management and disease control, cognitive training, and protein drink provision. Results: The average age of the participants was 77.1 years, and they lived alone (88.6%). As a result of providing the program, there were positive results such as increase in body strength (pre 12.27: post 13.27) and weight (pre 58.51: post 59.13), and decrease in depression (pre 4.66: post 1.20), and there was no statistically significant change in quality of life, Time Up & Go, and BMI. Conclusion: Frailty should be managed to prevent suicide in the elderly. It is necessary to expand and apply various programs that combine physical functions and emotional interventions such as health education, and exercise to maintain muscle strength.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Rural Health Nursing
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.66-74
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• 2024

Purpose: This study evaluates the effectiveness of providing frailty prevention services by living support workers through a case of community resource connection centered on living support workers to revitalize frailty prevention programs for vulnerable elderly people. Methods: This is a research study using secondary data from a neighborhood health-sharing project among the integrated health promotion projects of one public health center in Daegu Metropolitan City. To assess frailty effects pre-assessments were conducted in August, and post-assessments were conducted in November. Frailty was measured using a 20-item frailty instrument used in home healthcare projects. Data were analyzed using the chi-square, independent t-test, and paired t-test. Results: Preliminary measurements showed that older elderly had higher frailty scores than younger elderly. However, among the elderly aged 75 or older the total frailty score decreased statistically significantly from 5.97 points to 5.30 points (t=3.03, p=.003). Conclusion: The older elderly showed greater effect of frailty prevention than the younger elderly.

• Research in Community and Public Health Nursing
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.206-215
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• 2017

Purpose: This study aimed to verify the predictive validity of Comprehensive Korean Frailty Instrument (CKFI) among older adults. Methods: A secondary analysis of data from a prospective cohort study was conducted. Frailty was determined in older adults (N=9,188) according to the data in 2008 and the effects of frailty on adverse outcomes (such as institutionalization and death) were evaluated according to the data in 2011. The Cardiovascular Health Study (CHS) index was used to compare with the predictive validity of CKFI. Results: The prevalence of frailty was 26.3%. With the CKFI, the frail group had a higher risk of negative health outcomes compared to the robust and pre-frail groups after three years. The two of the highest risks identified using the CKFI and CHS index were institutionalization (5.522 times higher) and mortality (3.210 times higher). For both instruments, the survival analysis revealed that the risk of death increased as the degree of frailty increased. Conclusion: The CKFI consisting of self-report items and multidimensional aspects of frailty can be used as a simple instrument for assessing the frailty of older adults residing in a local community in Korea.

• 한국체육학회지인문사회과학편
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• v.58 no.4
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• pp.423-433
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• 2019

The purpose of this review is to summarize current knowledge regarding animal sarcopenia and frailty models and their diagnosis indexes. In addition, we introduce the effects of exercise interventions on sarcopenia and frailty syndrome. Data collection and analysis (fifteen published articles from 2005~2017) were conducted by using keywords' sarcopenia index, frailty index, exercise and mice, and so on' in academic search engines such as Google scholar and Pubmed. Sarcopenia and frailty are the representative syndromes in elderly peoples which those symptoms can be effectively prevented or delayed by extremely adjusted long term exercise interventions (The combined oxidative and resistant exercise program might be ideal.).

• Journal of Korean Medical Science
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• v.33 no.51
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• pp.332.1-332.8
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• 2018

Background: The trend of aging society is occurring globally, and with it, one of the health problems that is emerging is frailty. Efforts are being made to account for the increasing prevalence of frailty, and various modifiable factors are being considered in regards to frailty. Because social contact has shown beneficial effects in terms of health in previous studies, it is increasingly being considered in relation to frailty. The purpose of this study was to assess the association of different types of social contact with frailty status. Methods: A total of 1,200 Korean elders aged 70-84 years old were included in the study. Using Fried's Cardiovascular Health Study index to categorize the frailty status, the relationship between frailty status and frequency of contact (i.e., with family members, friends, or neighbors) was analyzed using multinomial logistic regression accounting for confounders. Results: Adjusting for all covariates, frequency of contact with friends was the most statistically significant. Less frequent contact was associated with a significantly higher odds of pre-frailty: monthly (odds ratio [OR], 2.02; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.27-3.20), and rarely (OR, 1.87; 95% CI, 1.17-2.99), with daily contact group as reference. Also, those contacting friends monthly (OR, 5.04; 95% CI, 2.29-11.08) or rarely (OR, 3.23; 95% CI, 1.58-6.61) were more likely to be frail compared to the daily group. Conclusion: Frequency of social contact, especially with friends, is strongly associated with frailty.

• International Journal of Advanced Culture Technology
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• v.11 no.3
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• pp.131-141
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• 2023

This study aimed to identify the determinants of physical frailty among the old-old adults in rural Korean communities. A total of 191 individuals aged 75 and older were included in the study, with the majority being female. Participants were classified into healthy (n=47), pre-frail (n=54), and frail (n=90) groups. Significant differences were found across these groups in terms of age, gender, education level, depression, and nutritional status. Multiple logistic regression analysis revealed that age (OR=1.16), depression (OR=0.21), malnourishment (OR=10.85), and short physical performance ability (OR=0.70) were significant predictors of physical frailty. These findings underscore the multifaceted nature of physical frailty among old-old adults in urban-rural complex communities and highlight the need for comprehensive and integrated interventions. Such interventions should consider not only physical factors but also broader health conditions and socio-demographic influences impacting the elderly. Further research is needed to develop and evaluate interventions that address these determinants and promote health equity among the elderly population in urban-rural complex communities