To investigate the relationship between kinesiophobic attitudes and their causes and frailty in older people.
This descriptive, relationship-seeking study was conducted with 302 people aged over 65 years. The data were collected through face-to-face interviews between July and September 2023, using a personal information form, the Tampa Scale of Kinesiophobia, the Kinesiophobia Causes Scale (KCS) and the Edmonton Frail Scale (EFS). The data were analysed using Pearson's correlation test, linear regression and binary logistic regression.
A total of 92.7% of older adults experienced high levels of kinesiophobia, while 80.5% presented various degrees of frailty. Most people's kinesiophobia is caused by psychological factors. There is a positive and significant correlation between kinesiophobia and frailty, as well as between the causes of kinesiophobia and frailty. The linear regression model showed that age, sex, physical activity, pain score, kinesiophobic attitudes and causes explained 52.1% of the variation in the EFS score. The binary logistic regression model, based on the frailty categorical variable (frail vs. non-frail), found that age, sex, physical activity, pain score and kinesiophobic attitudes accounted for 49.0% of the variation in the EFS score.
Kinesiophobic attitudes and causes are important risk factors for frailty and can predict an individual's frailty state.