Prevalence of social frailty and risk factors among community-dwelling older adults: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Background: Older people are more vulnerable to social frailty due to age, physical condition and socio-economic status. Since social frailty can lead to adverse health outcomes, it is essential to understand the current state of social frailty among community-dwelling older adults. Aims: To consolidate existing evidence for rates of social frailty and risk factors. Methods: Two researchers independently selected studies, extracted data, assessed the quality of the studies included in the literature, and calculated the rate of social frailty through a random-effects model with OR and 95 % CI for risk factors. Results: The literature search yielded a total of 81,414 articles, with 28 articles ultimately meeting the study criteria and being included in the meta-analysis. The prevalence of social frailty among community-dwelling older adults was 20.0 % (95 % CI 15.0 %-25.0 %, I2 = 99.5 %, P < 0.001). MSFI and other criteria yielded social frailty rates of 20.6 % and 18.3 %, respectively. The rate of social frailty was 20.2 % for the cross-sectional design and 19.3 % for the cohort design. The prevalence of social frailty is 20.2 % in Asian countries and 17.4 % in European countries. The rate of social frailty is 22.0 % for those aged 75 and over and 17.9 % for those under 75. Multiple chronic conditions, a major illness, marital status, sleep quality, and depressive symptoms are associated with social frailty. Conclusion: Social frailty affects nearly one in five community-dwelling older adults, and having multiple chronic conditions, having a major illness, being single, poor sleep quality, and depression are all risk factors for social frailty.