Neck circumference as a marker of frailty risk in older adults
Keywords:
older adult, frailty, neck circumference, body mass indexAbstract
Introduction: The assessment of older adults has unique characteristics that make it more complex and a significant challenge for clinicians. A relationship between neck circumference and the risk of frailty in older adults has been described.
Objective: To characterize the relationship between neck circumference and frailty in older adults treated at the Center for Research on Longevity, Aging, and Health.
Methods: Cross-sectional, analytical, observational study. The study population consisted of 1011 older adults. A non-probabilistic, purposive sampling method was used, and 206 older adults were studied.
Results: The prevalence of frailty was 9.7%, while pre-frailty reached 46.1%, predominantly in women. Associated factors included self-perceived fair health (p=0.029), polypharmacy (p=0.016), and high comorbidity. The analysis showed independence of errors (Durbin-Watson = 1.683) and good model fit (Hosmer-Lemeshow, p = 0.898).
Conclusions: Frailty and pre-frailty primarily affected women and those over 75 years of age, influenced by malnutrition as measured by neck circumference, polypharmacy, comorbidity, and dependency. Neck circumference stood out as an accessible marker for assessing frailty risk in older adults.
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Copyright (c) 2025 Rogelio Cañamar Lomas, Ludmila Brenes Hernández, Adialys Guevara González, Pablo Díaz Hernández, Fabiola Gutierrez Garcia, Liety Díaz Abreu, Elisbeth Pérez Montes de Oca
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