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Health Literacy and Exercise to Treat Frailty in Community-Dwelling Older Adults: A National Survey Study

Author

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  • Chia-Hui Wang

    (School of Nursing, College of Nursing, Taipei Medical University, Taipei 110301, Taiwan)

  • Wen-Pei Chang

    (School of Nursing, College of Nursing, Taipei Medical University, Taipei 110301, Taiwan
    Department of Nursing, Shuang Ho Hospital, Taipei Medical University, New Taipei City 235041, Taiwan)

  • Su-Ru Chen

    (Post-Baccalaureate Program in Nursing, College of Nursing, Taipei Medical University, Taipei 110301, Taiwan)

  • Wan-Ju Cheng

    (Department of Psychiatry, China Medical University Hospital, Taichung 404332, Taiwan
    Department of Public Health, China Medical University, Taichung 406040, Taiwan
    Center for Drug Abuse and Addiction, China Medical University Hospital, China Medical University, Taichung 404332, Taiwan)

  • Kuei-Ru Chou

    (School of Nursing, College of Nursing, Taipei Medical University, Taipei 110301, Taiwan
    Department of Nursing, Shuang Ho Hospital, Taipei Medical University, New Taipei City 235041, Taiwan
    Center for Nursing and Healthcare Research in Clinical Practice Application, Wan Fang Hospital, Taipei Medical University, Taipei 116079, Taiwan
    Psychiatric Research Center, Taipei Medical University Hospital, Taipei 110301, Taiwan)

  • Li-Chung Pien

    (Post-Baccalaureate Program in Nursing, College of Nursing, Taipei Medical University, Taipei 110301, Taiwan
    Psychiatric Research Center, Wan Fang Hospital, Taipei Medical University, Taipei 116079, Taiwan)

Abstract

Aging is a major challenge facing modern society and has attracted global attention. Studies have provided some initial evidence that health literacy plays a role in determining frailty; however, most of these studies have used small convenience samples of individuals recruited from geographically limited areas, thus limiting the generalizability of their findings. The present study explored the relationships among health literacy, exercise, and frailty in Taiwanese older adults by using the data of a national population-based survey. We retrieved data from the Taiwan Longitudinal Study on Aging, a population-based survey. We gathered the 2015 data on the age, sex, education level, marital status, exercise habits, and activities of daily living (ADLs) of each eligible respondent. We evaluated the respondents’ health literacy by using a nine-item health literacy scale and categorized their health literacy level as low, medium, or high. Frailty was diagnosed according the Fried criteria. Our final sample consisted of 7702 community-dwelling older adults (3630 men and 4072 adults). Of these, 25.3% had low health literacy. The proportion of respondents who had two or more disabilities in terms of ADLs or instrumental ADLs was higher among the women (36.4% and 12.6%, respectively), and regular exercise was more common among the men (19.6%). Frailty was more prevalent among the women; the prevalence of frailty among the male and female respondents was 4.5% and 8.1%, respectively. High health literacy and regular exercise were protective factors for frailty. According to our results, poor health literacy is a risk factor for prefrailty and frailty, and regular exercise is significantly negatively associated with prefrailty and frailty. Additional studies are necessary to define practical strategies for reducing the risks of disability and death for older adults with low health literacy who do not exercise regularly, thereby improving their quality of life.

Suggested Citation

  • Chia-Hui Wang & Wen-Pei Chang & Su-Ru Chen & Wan-Ju Cheng & Kuei-Ru Chou & Li-Chung Pien, 2022. "Health Literacy and Exercise to Treat Frailty in Community-Dwelling Older Adults: A National Survey Study," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(14), pages 1-10, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:19:y:2022:i:14:p:8711-:d:864878
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Chi-Jung Tai & Jen-Hao Chen & Tzyy-Guey Tseng & Yi-Ting Lin & Yu-Han Hsiao & Meng-Chih Lee & Yi-Hsin Yang, 2020. "Prediction of Frailty and Dementia Using Oral Health Impact Profile from a Population-Based Survey," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(6), pages 1-11, March.
    2. Linda Juel Ahrenfeldt & Sören Möller & Mikael Thinggaard & Kaare Christensen & Rune Lindahl-Jacobsen, 2019. "Sex Differences in Comorbidity and Frailty in Europe," International Journal of Public Health, Springer;Swiss School of Public Health (SSPH+), vol. 64(7), pages 1025-1036, September.
    3. Hye-Ri Shin & Eun-Young Choi & Su-Kyung Kim & Hee-Yun Lee & Young-Sun Kim, 2021. "Health Literacy and Frailty in Community-Dwelling Older Adults: Evidence from a Nationwide Cohort Study in South Korea," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(15), pages 1-10, July.
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    Cited by:

    1. Masashi Yamashita & Yuki Mashizume & Kento Yama & Shun Sasaki & Daiki Uehara & Kentaro Kamiya, 2023. "Protocols and Features of Goal-Setting-Based Intervention for Frail Older Adults in Community Exercise Facilities," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(2), pages 1-11, January.

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