Associations between frailty dimensions and quality of life in older adults with Type 2 diabetes Mellitus: A cross-sectional study

IF 4.7 3区医学 Q2 GERIATRICS & GERONTOLOGY

Aging Clinical and Experimental Research Pub Date : 2026-06-04 Epub Date: 2026-08-12 DOI:10.1007/s40520-026-03428-x

Dimitra Natsina, Fotini Malli, Maria Malliarou, Georgios Tsioumanis, Maria Saridi, Katerina Toska, Theodosios Paralikas

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Abstract

Introduction

Frailty is increasingly recognized as a clinically relevant condition in older adults with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM), with important implications for functional outcomes and individualized care. This study examined the association between multidimensional frailty and quality of life in older adults with T2DM.

Methods

A cross-sectional study was conducted among 112 older adults aged ≥ 65 years in the Trikala Regional Unit, Central Greece. Frailty was assessed using the Tilburg Frailty Indicator (TFI), and quality of life was measured using the Older People’s Quality of Life Questionnaire (OPQOL-35). Overall quality of life was operationalized as the OPQOL-35 mean score. Pearson correlation analysis was performed to examine the association between quality of life and frailty components, and multiple linear regression analysis was used to examine independent associations with quality of life.

Results

The sample demonstrated a moderate level of frailty (M = 7.88, SD = 2.78), exceeding the established cut-off for frailty. Physical fatigue and upper limb weakness were the most frequently reported physical limitations. All frailty components (physical, psychological, and social) were significantly associated with poorer OPQOL-35 mean scores (p < .01). The strongest correlation was observed for physical health-related problems (r = .690, p < .001), followed by social (r = .582, p < .001) and psychological components (r = .486, p < .001). The regression model explained 77.2% of the variance in quality of life (R² = 0.772), with physical frailty emerging as the strongest associated factor (β = 0.459, p < .001), followed by social (β = 0.303, p < .001) and psychological components (β = 0.202, p = .005).

Conclusions

Frailty shows a strong multidimensional association with quality of life in older adults with T2DM. These findings highlight the importance of early frailty screening and support the implementation of individualized, multidisciplinary management strategies in primary care to preserve functional ability and overall well-being in this vulnerable population.

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老年2型糖尿病患者虚弱程度与生活质量之间的关系：一项横断面研究

简介：衰弱越来越被认为是老年2型糖尿病（T2DM）患者的一种临床相关疾病，对功能结局和个性化护理具有重要意义。本研究探讨了老年2型糖尿病患者的多维虚弱与生活质量之间的关系。方法：对希腊中部特里卡拉地区的112名年龄≥65岁的老年人进行了一项横断面研究。使用Tilburg衰弱指数（TFI）评估虚弱程度，使用老年人生活质量问卷（OPQOL-35）测量生活质量。总体生活质量以OPQOL-35平均评分进行操作。采用Pearson相关分析检验生活质量与衰弱成分之间的关联，采用多元线性回归分析检验与生活质量之间的独立关联。结果：样本表现出中等程度的虚弱（M = 7.88, SD = 2.78），超过了虚弱的既定截止值。身体疲劳和上肢无力是最常见的身体限制。所有脆弱因素（生理、心理和社会）与较差的OPQOL-35平均评分显著相关（p < 0.01）。相关性最强的是身体健康相关问题（r = 0.690, p < 0.001），其次是社会问题（r = 0.582, p < 0.001）和心理问题（r = 0.486, p < 0.001）。回归模型解释了77.2%的生活质量方差（R²= 0.772），其中身体虚弱是最强的相关因素（β = 0.459, p < .001），其次是社会（β = 0.303, p < .001）和心理（β = 0.202, p = .005）。结论：在老年T2DM患者中，虚弱表现出与生活质量强烈的多维关联。这些发现强调了早期虚弱筛查的重要性，并支持在初级保健中实施个性化、多学科管理策略，以保护这些弱势群体的功能能力和整体福祉。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Aging Clinical and Experimental Research 医学-老年医学

CiteScore

7.90

自引率

5.00%

发文量

283

审稿时长

1 months

期刊介绍： Aging clinical and experimental research offers a multidisciplinary forum on the progressing field of gerontology and geriatrics. The areas covered by the journal include: biogerontology, neurosciences, epidemiology, clinical gerontology and geriatric assessment, social, economical and behavioral gerontology. “Aging clinical and experimental research” appears bimonthly and publishes review articles, original papers and case reports.