Dataset Information

Physical activity and trajectories of frailty among older adults: Evidence from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Frail older adults are heavy users of health and social care. In order to reduce the costs associated with frailty in older age groups, safe and cost-effective strategies are required that will reduce the incidence and severity of frailty.

Objective

We investigated whether self-reported intensity of physical activity (sedentary, mild, moderate or vigorous) performed at least once a week can significantly reduce trajectories of frailty in older adults who are classified as non-frail at baseline (Rockwood's Frailty Index [FI] ? 0.25).

Methods

Multi-level growth curve modelling was used to assess trajectories of frailty in 8649 non-frail adults aged 50 and over and according to baseline self-reported intensity of physical activity. Frailty was measured in five-year age cohorts based on age at baseline (50-54; 55-59; 60-64; 65-69; 70-74; 75-79; 80+) on up to 6 occasions, providing an average of 10 years of follow-up. All models were adjusted for baseline sex, education, wealth, cohabitation, smoking, and alcohol consumption.

Results

Compared with the sedentary reference group, mild physical activity was insufficient to significantly slow the progression of frailty, moderate physical activity reduced the progression of frailty in some age groups (particularly ages 65 and above) and vigorous activity significantly reduced the trajectory of frailty progression in all older adults.

Conclusion

Healthy non-frail older adults require higher intensities of physical activity for continued improvement in frailty trajectories.

SUBMITTER: Rogers NT

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5289530 | biostudies-literature | 2017

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Publications

Physical activity and trajectories of frailty among older adults: Evidence from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing.

Rogers Nina T NT Marshall Alan A Roberts Chrissy H CH Demakakos Panayotes P Steptoe Andrew A Scholes Shaun S

PloS one 20170202 2

<h4>Background</h4>Frail older adults are heavy users of health and social care. In order to reduce the costs associated with frailty in older age groups, safe and cost-effective strategies are required that will reduce the incidence and severity of frailty.<h4>Objective</h4>We investigated whether self-reported intensity of physical activity (sedentary, mild, moderate or vigorous) performed at least once a week can significantly reduce trajectories of frailty in older adults who are classified ...[more]

PMID: 28152084

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Project description:Background:Socio-economic status from early life has been linked to cardiovascular disease risk, but the impact of life-course socio-economic trajectories, as well as the mechanisms underlying social inequalities in cardiovascular disease risk, is uncertain. Objectives:We assessed the role of behavioural, psychosocial and physiological (including inflammatory) factors in the association between life-course socio-economic status and cardiovascular disease mortality in older adults. Methods:Participants were 7846 individuals (44% women) from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing, a representative study of individuals aged???50 years, established in 2002-03. Comprising four indicators of socio-economic status (father's social class, own education, occupational position and wealth), we computed an index of socio-economic trajectory and a lifetime cumulative socio-economic score. Behavioural (smoking, physical activity, alcohol consumption, body mass index) and psychosocial (social relations, loneliness) factors, physiological (blood pressure, total cholesterol, triglycerides) and inflammatory markers (C-reactive protein, fibrinogen), measured repeatedly over time, were potential explanatory variables. Cardiovascular disease mortality was ascertained by linkage of study members to a national mortality register. Mediation was calculated using the traditional 'change-in-estimate method' and alternative approaches such as counterfactual mediation modelling could not be applied in this context. Results:During the 8.4-year follow-up, 1301 study members died (438 from cardiovascular disease). A stable low-social-class trajectory was associated with around double the risk of cardiovascular disease mortality (hazard ratio; 95% confidence interval: 1.94, 1.37; 2.75) compared with a stable high social class across the life course. Individuals in the lowest relative to the highest life-course cumulative socio-economic status group were also more than twice as likely to die of cardiovascular disease (2.57, 1.81; 3.65). Behavioural factors and inflammatory markers contributed most to explaining this gradient, whereas the role of psychosocial and other physiological risk factors was modest. Conclusions:In a population-based cohort of older individuals living in England, we provide evidence that disadvantage across the life course is linked to cardiovascular mortality. That behavioural factors and inflammatory markers partially explain this gradient may provide insights into the potential for intervention.

Dataset Information

Physical activity and trajectories of frailty among older adults: Evidence from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing.

Background

Objective

Methods

Results

Conclusion

Publications

Physical activity and trajectories of frailty among older adults: Evidence from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing.

Similar Datasets

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