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Spousal Concordance of Physical Frailty in Older Korean Couples

Author

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  • Suah Kang

    (Department of Medicine, College of Medicine, Kyung Hee University, Seoul 02447, Korea)

  • Miji Kim

    (Department of Biomedical Science and Technology, College of Medicine, East-West Medical Research Institute, Kyung Hee University, Seoul 02447, Korea)

  • Chang Won Won

    (Elderly Frailty Research Center, Department of Family Medicine, College of Medicine, Kyung Hee University, Seoul 02447, Korea)

Abstract

Marital status is an important risk factor for physical frailty. However, there are limited data on spousal concordance of physical frailty among married couples. Here, we evaluate the spousal concordance of frailty as defined by the Fried frailty phenotype and specific phenotype components that contribute to this association. Data on 315 married couples (630 individuals) aged between 70 and 84 years were obtained from the Korean Frailty and Aging Cohort Study (KFACS). Multivariate logistic regressions were used for the analysis. After adjusting for covariates (age, body mass index, education, house ownership, comorbidity, cognition, depressive symptoms, cohabitation with adult children for both partners), a husband’s frailty was positively associated with his wife’s frailty (odds ratio (OR) 3.34, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.04–10.73, p < 0.05), and a wife’s frailty was significantly associated with her husband’s frailty (OR 4.62, 95% CI 1.31–16.33, p < 0.05), indicating a greater effect of the frailty status of the spouse among women than among men. Among the five components of the Fried frailty phenotype, weight loss, slowness, and exhaustion were the main contributing factors to the spousal association for frailty. In conclusion, having a frail spouse is a strong and independent risk factor for frailty among community-living older adults.

Suggested Citation

  • Suah Kang & Miji Kim & Chang Won Won, 2020. "Spousal Concordance of Physical Frailty in Older Korean Couples," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(12), pages 1-10, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:17:y:2020:i:12:p:4574-:d:376131
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Christiane A. Hoppmann & Denis Gerstorf & Mary Luszcz, 2008. "Spousal Social Activity Trajectories in the Australian Longitudinal Study of Ageing in the Context of Cognitive, Physical, and Affective Resources," The Journals of Gerontology: Series B, The Gerontological Society of America, vol. 63(1), pages 41-50.
    2. William J. Strawbridge & Margaret I. Wallhagen & Sarah J. Shema, 2007. "Impact of Spouse Vision Impairment on Partner Health and Well-Being: A Longitudinal Analysis of Couples," The Journals of Gerontology: Series B, The Gerontological Society of America, vol. 62(5), pages 315-322.
    3. Martin Pinquart & Silvia Sörensen, 2006. "Gender Differences in Caregiver Stressors, Social Resources, and Health: An Updated Meta-Analysis," The Journals of Gerontology: Series B, The Gerontological Society of America, vol. 61(1), pages 33-45.
    4. Meyler, Deanna & Stimpson, Jim P. & Peek, M. Kristen, 2007. "Health concordance within couples: A systematic review," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 64(11), pages 2297-2310, June.
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    1. Xueli Yuan & Wei Liu & Wenqing Ni & Yuanying Sun & Hongmin Zhang & Yan Zhang & Peng Yin & Jian Xu, 2023. "Concordance of Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease and Associated Factors among Older Married Couples in China," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(2), pages 1-11, January.

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