Physical activity as a preventative factor for frailty: the health, aging, and body composition study.
BACKGROUND
It is unclear if physical activity (PA) can prevent or reverse frailty. We examined different doses and types of PA and their association with the onset and severity of frailty.


METHODS
Health, Aging and Body Composition (Health ABC) study participants (N = 2,964) were followed for 5 years, with frailty defined as a gait speed of less than 0.60 m/s and/or inability to rise from a chair without using one's arms. Individuals with one impairment were considered moderately frail and those with both severely frail. We examined PA doses of volume and intensity, activity types (eg, lifestyle vs exercise activities), and their associations with incident frailty and transition to severe frailty in those who became frail.


RESULTS
Adjusted models indicated that sedentary individuals had significantly increased odds of developing frailty compared with the exercise active group (adjusted odds ratio [OR] = 1.45; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.04-2.01), whereas the lifestyle active did not. Number of diagnoses was the strongest predictor of incident frailty. In those who became frail during follow-up (n = 410), there was evidence that the sedentary (adjusted OR = 2.80; 95% CI: 0.98-8.02) and lifestyle active (adjusted OR = 2.81; 95% CI: 1.22-6.43) groups were more likely to have worsening frailty over time.


CONCLUSIONS
Despite the strong relationship seen between comorbid conditions and onset of frailty, this observational study suggests that participation in self-selected exercise activities is independently associated with delaying the onset and the progression of frailty. Regular exercise should be further examined as a potential factor in frailty prevention for older adults.
Peterson
Matthew J
MJ
Durham VA Medical Center, GRECC, Durham, NC 27705, USA. peter076@mc.duke.edu
Giuliani
Carol
C
Morey
Miriam C
MC
Pieper
Carl F
CF
Evenson
Kelly R
KR
Mercer
Vicki
V
Cohen
Harvey J
HJ
Visser
Marjolein
M
Brach
Jennifer S
JS
Kritchevsky
Stephen B
SB
Goodpaster
Bret H
BH
Rubin
Susan
S
Satterfield
Suzanne
S
Newman
Anne B
AB
Simonsick
Eleanor M
EM
D000368:Aged; D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology*; D001824:Body Constitution / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D016330:Frail Elderly / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009043:Motor Activity / Q000502:physiology*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors