Aim
The Kihon Checklist is extensively used in Japan to identify elderly persons who are at risk of requiring support/care. We aimed to determine whether or not the Kihon Checklist can estimate ...frailty status defined by the Cardiovascular Health Study criteria.
Methods
This cross‐sectional study evaluated the Kihon Checklist and activities of daily living based on self‐records maintained with the assistance of nurses in a convenience sample of 164 elderly outpatients who lived without care or support. Body composition was measured using dual energy X‐ray absorptiometry. Physical functions, nutritional status, cognitive function and depressive mood were assessed using standardized evaluations. Frailty status was evaluated using the Cardiovascular Health Study frailty criteria.
Results
The total Kihon Checklist score closely correlated with validated assessments of physical functions, nutritional state, cognitive function, depressive mood and the number of frailty phenotypes defined by the Cardiovascular Health Study criteria (ρ = 0.655, P < 0.001). The area under the receiver operating characteristics curves for the evaluation of frailty status was 0.81 for prefrailty and 0.92 for frailty. The sensitivity and the specificity were 70.3% and 78.3% for prefrailty, and 89.5% and 80.7% for frailty at total Kihon Checklist scores of 3/4 and 7/8, respectively.
Conclusion
The Kihon Checklist is a useful tool for frailty screening. Analyzing the results of this self‐reporting questionnaire, together with other more high‐tech screening modalities, will cost‐effectively improve the quality of life for many elderly individuals in a timely manner. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2015; ●●: ●●–●●.
Objectives
The aim of this study was to examine whether older users of information and communicative technology (ICT) participate in active behaviors, such as voluntary exercise, to maintain health, ...even under community containment to suppress the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.
Design
Cross-sectional study.
Setting
Community setting.
Participants
Independent community-dwelling older residents aged ≥75 years.
Measurements
The municipality sent the Kihon Checklist (KCL) and Simplified Nutritional Appetite Questionnaire (SNAQ) with several questions on lifestyle and health conditions under social restriction.
Results
Among 3199 responders (72.1%), we analyzed the data of 2304 residents who provided complete answers to the KCL and SNAQ and on ICT use, voluntary exercise, polypharmacy, and families. The mean age was 79.7 years (51.3% male). The percentages of frailty assessed by the KCL, voluntary exercise, and low SNAQ scores (≤14) were 16.0%, 61.4%, and 43.8% in 808 ICT users and 30.3%, 47.2%, and 54.1% in 1496 ICT non-users, respectively (p<0.001). ICT use was significantly associated with voluntary exercise even during social restriction, independent of age, sex, polypharmacy, low SNAQ scores, and frailty status (odds ratio, 1.503; 95% confidential interval, 1.246–1.813).
Conclusion
Older ICT users are more active to maintain health even during social restriction, independent of frailty status.
Background
Osteosarcopenia is a newly described, aging-associated condition. Social frailty is an important condition whose prevalence may have risen by physical distancing during the coronavirus ...disease 2019 pandemic. However, the relationship between these two remains unclear.
Aims
To examine the association between osteosarcopenia and social frailty.
Methods
This cross-sectional study was conducted using data from outpatients visiting general geriatric hospital frailty clinics. Bone mineral density (BMD) and muscle mass were measured using dual X-ray absorptiometry. Osteoporosis was defined as a BMD of < 70% of the young adult mean, according to the Japan Osteoporosis Society. Sarcopenia was diagnosed as per the Asian Working Group for Sarcopenia 2019 recommendation. Osteosarcopenia was defined as the co-existence of osteoporosis and sarcopenia. We defined social frailty using a questionnaire comprising four items: general resources, social resources, social behavior, and basic social needs. Ordinal logistic regression analysis was performed with social frailty status and osteosarcopenia as the dependent and independent variables, respectively.
Results
We included 495 patients (mean age = 76.5 ± 7.2 years) in the analysis; of these, 58.2% were robust and 17.2%, 13.5%, and 11.1% had osteoporosis alone, sarcopenia alone, and osteosarcopenia, respectively. Social frailty prevalence increased stepwise from 8.0% in robust patients to 11.8%, 17.9%, and 29.1% among those with osteoporosis alone, sarcopenia alone, and osteosarcopenia, respectively (
P
< 0.001). Logistic regression analysis revealed that only osteosarcopenia was significantly associated with social frailty (pooled odds ratio: 2.117; 95% confidence interval: 1.104–4.213).
Discussion
Comprehensive assessment of osteosarcopenia and social frailty is needed for disability prevention in older adults.
To validate the ability of the total Kihon checklist (t-KCL) score to predict the incidence of dependency or death within 3 years in a community-dwelling older population.
Population-based ...longitudinal observational study.
Town of Higashi-ura, Japan.
A total of 5542 independent seniors who were residents in the town of Higashi-ura.
The KCL questionnaire was sent to independent older residents. Based on our previous report, those with a t-KCL score of 0-3 were classified as robust, 4-7 as pre-frail, and 8 + as frail. The incidence of dependency or death was observed over 3 years. Dependency was defined as a new certification for long-term care insurance (LTCI) service need. Information regarding LTCI certification or death was obtained from the municipal government.
Of 8091 independent older adults, 5542 seniors completed the KCL questionnaire. Based on the t-KCL score, they were classified into 3 groups: 2962 (53.4%) as robust, 1625 (29.3%) as pre-frail, and 955 (17.2%) as frail. Over the 3 years, 510 seniors (9.2%) had new LTCI certifications and 170 (3.1%) died. Cox regression analysis adjusted for age and sex showed that the classification of frailty status by t-KCL score was significantly associated with the incidence of dependency both in the pre-frail and the frail hazard ratios (HRs): 2.027 and 4.768; 95% confidence intervals (CIs): 1.575-2.608 and 3.733-6.089, respectively. On the other hand, the ability to predict death was significant, but only in the frail group (HR: 2.830; 95% CI: 1.952-4.104).
The classification of frailty status by t-KCL score could be a significant tool to predict the incidences of dependency and mortality in older adults.
We investigated whether the association between sarcopenia and fall risk (FR) differs according to the muscle mass adjustment method in 357 outpatients who were not disabled in the activities of ...daily living or indicated for orthopedic surgery. Sarcopenia was diagnosed by the Asian Working Group for Sarcopenia (AWGS) 2019 criteria, using adjusting methods of muscle mass by height squared (ht
2
), body mass index (BMI), or any of these (i.e., ht
2
-adjusted Sarc”, “BMI-adjusted Sarc”, or “ht
2
and/or BMI-adjusted Sarc, respectively). FR was defined by FR index ≥10. There were 111, 105, and 157 participants with ht
2
-adjusted, BMI-adjusted, and ht
2
and/or BMI-adjusted Sarc, respectively. After multivariable adjustment, ht
2
and/or BMI-adjusted Sarc was the most closely associated with FR odds ratio and 95% confidence interval: 2.94, 1.75–4.93. Our data suggest that the sarcopenia definition using low ASM/ht
2
and/or ASM/BMI muscle mass might better predict adverse outcomes in older patients.
Purpose
The WHO has proposed a novel model of healthy aging called intrinsic capacity (IC). However, the association between dietary patterns and IC is unclear. We aimed to investigate the ...prospective associations between dietary patterns and IC trajectories over a 3-year period in community-dwelling Japanese adults aged ≥ 60 years.
Methods
A prospective cohort study which contained nutritional status, mental status, and physical function was used. A validated 34-item food frequency questionnaire was used to determine dietary intake and to derive five dietary patterns (“fruits and vegetables”, “sugar and fat”, “salt and pickles”, “noodle and alcohol”, and “protein-rich”) using principal component analysis. The composite IC score was calculated as the mean of the locomotion Z-score, cognition Z-score, psychological Z-score, vitality Z-score, and sensory regression score. A generalized estimating equation was applied for longitudinal analysis.
Results
A total of 666 enrollees were included in the analysis. The mean baseline IC was 0.07 ± 0.47. The “fruits and vegetables” dietary pattern was positively associated with composite IC score changes after adjusting for confounders (Q4 vs. Q1: mean difference 0.069,
P
= 0.019). Similarly, a positive correlation was observed for the “protein-rich” dietary pattern with the composite IC score changes (Q4 vs. Q1: mean difference 0.092, Q3 vs. Q1: mean difference 0.101, Q2 vs. Q1: mean difference 0.083; all
P
< 0.01). However, adherence to the “sugar and fat” dietary pattern was negatively associated with composite IC score changes (Q4 vs. Q1: mean difference − 0.072,
P
= 0.026). Furthermore, the percentage of animal protein to total protein intake showed a significant incremental trend in the “protein-rich” dietary pattern (
P
for trend < 0.001).
Conclusion
The “fruits and vegetables” and “protein-rich” (animal-based protein in particular) dietary patterns were positively associated with IC changes, whereas the “sugar and fat” dietary pattern was negatively associated with IC changes. Identification and promotion of healthy dietary patterns in older adults may inform future health policies and research.
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