• Jie Li, Dongdong Zhao, Bao Dong, Dandan Yu, Qiongqiong Ren, Jian Chen, Qirong Qin, Peng Bi, and Yehuan Sun.
• Department of Epidemiology and Health Statistics, School of Public Health, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China.
• Geriatr Gerontol Int. 2018 Jul 1; 18 (7): 987-996.

AimThe frailty index is used to measure the health status of older individuals. However, its association with self-neglect, social support and sociodemographic characteristics of older adults is underexplored. The purpose of the present study was to explore such associations among the rural older adults in Anhui Province of China, and to provide scientific evidence for policy-makers to improve the health and well-being of older adults in rural China.MethodsA cross-sectional survey was undertaken among 3048 older adults in rural China. The frailty index was measured by an accumulation of deficits of 40 items. Ordinal logistic regression models were carried out to explore the associations of self-neglect, social support and sociodemographic characteristics with the frailty index.ResultsThe frailty rate was 15.8% among the participants. Older adults who showed self-neglect, were female, had a lower education level, had a lower monthly income and did not drink alcohol were more prone to having frailty in the 60-76 years age group, whereas older adults who showed self-neglect, had poor social support, were female, were not smokers and did not drink alcohol were more likely to have frailty in the ≥77 years age group (P < 0.05). The interaction effect on frailty between self-neglect and social support was found in the 60-76 years age group.ConclusionsAge differences were shown in the associations between self-neglect, social support, sociodemographic characteristics and frailty index, which suggests different measures should be used accordingly for frailty prevention and management. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2018; 18: 987-996.© 2018 Japan Geriatrics Society.

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