Trajectories of frailty and cognitive impairment in older adults of the study Health, Well-being and Aging (SABE) in three evaluation waves

• Grant number: 22/14795-4
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Doctorate
• Start date: May 08, 2023
• End date: May 07, 2024
• Field of knowledge: Interdisciplinary Subjects
• Principal Investigator: Monica Sanches Yassuda
• Grantee: Gabriela Cabett Cipolli
• Supervisor: Qian-Li Xue
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Ciências Médicas (FCM). Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Campinas , SP, Brazil
• Institution abroad: Johns Hopkins University (JHU), United States
• Associated to the scholarship: 19/24713-2 - Relationship between Sarcopenia and cognition in the old people: data from the fibra study, BP.DR

Abstract

Frailty and cognitive impairment are considered clinical conditions of high prevalence in older adults, associated with negative health outcomes, especially when coexisting. Studies indicate that there is a significant association between these conditions, but the direction of the association remains questioned. Objective: To investigate, in a Brazilian database, with at least three moments of evaluation, the frequency and factors associated with possible trajectory to the development of frailty and cognitive impairment (frailty occurs before cognitive impairment, cognitive impairment occurs before frailty, and simultaneous occurrence of the two conditions) in a sample initially free from such conditions. Methods: The participants of the Health, Well-being and Aging (SABE) study were evaluated in 2006, 2010 and 2015, with regard to the presence of frailty and cognitive impairment. Frailty was assessed by the five criteria of the Cardiovascular Health Study, and cognitive function was evaluated by the Mini Mental State Examination and by the Verbal Fluency category animals. The data from the 2006 evaluation will be considered as the baseline data, and individuals with frailty and impairment at this time will be excluded. The three possible trajectories indicated above will be identified in the 2010 and 2015 evaluations. The Fine & Gray model will be used to identify correlations between sociodemographic, clinical, and psychosocial variables with the possible trajectories of development of frailty and cognitive impairment, accounting for death as a competitive risk. Identifying the frequency of trajectories and associated factors may provide new targets for prevention, risk screening, and care actions. (AU)