Life course determinants and adverse health-related outcomes of pre-frailty trajectories among older adults: Using the Korean Longitudinal Study of Aging

This study aimed to identify pre-frailty trajectories among older adults, specifically examining the life course determinants of these trajectories and their associations with adverse health-related outcomes. Longitudinal analyses were conducted with a representative sample of 1955 older adults aged ≥65 years. Pre-frailty was measured by the 37-item Frailty Index. Participants were divided into three groups of pre-frailty trajectories: persistent pre-frailty (62.9 %), slowly increasing frailty (28.4 %), and rapidly worsening frailty (8.7 %). Participants with rapidly worsening frailty were more likely to be older and did not have health check-ups. Compared with the slowly increasing frailty group, the risk of hospitalization and mortality in the rapidly worsening frailty group was 1.41 and 1.68 times higher, respectively. Frailty care can be improved by providing comprehensive knowledge about pre-frailty trajectories. Healthcare providers can reduce adverse health-related outcomes via routine frailty assessments focused on the target populations, timing, and components of nursing interventions.