Factors influencing the stages of frailty among Korean older adults focusing on objective and subjective social isolation

Background Although many studies have investigated the factors influencing frailty, few studies have confirmed the influence of social factors on the stages of frailty. This study was conducted to identify factors influencing the stages of frailty in Korean older adults, focusing on objective and subjective social isolation. Methods This study analyzed the data of 10,041 older adults from the 2017 National Survey of Older Koreans. Two multiple logistic regression analyses were performed to identify the factors influencing the frailty stages. Frailty was calculated using the FRAIL scale with the five domains: fatigue, resistance, ambulation, illness, and loss of weight. Results Among Korean older adults, 51.5% were in the robust stage, 42.5% in the pre-frail stage and 6.0% in the frail stage. As a multiple logistic regression analysis, participants with an intimate relationship (Odds ratio (OR) 0.93, 95% Confidential interval (CI) = 0.91-0.95) or objective social non-isolated participants were more likely to be in the robust group than the pre-frail group. Objective social-isolated participants were more likely to belong to the frail group than the pre-frail group: isolation from family member only (OR 1.57, 95% CI = 1.04-2.39), isolation from non-family member only (OR 1.75, 95% CI = 1.39-2.19), and isolation from both family and non-family member (OR 2.56, 95% CI = 1.67-3.92). Conclusions This cross-sectional study showed that social isolation was associated with the stage of frailty. Therefore, researchers need to consider issues of social isolation of older adults in the development of frailty prevention and management intervention.