Status and Influencing Factors of Reversible and Potentially Reversible Cognitive Frailty among the Community-dwelling Elderly

Background Cognitive frailty is a prevalent clinical syndrome in the elderly, with subtypes of reversible and potentially reversible cognitive frailty. It is associated with adverse health outcomes such as falls, disability, and mortality. However, there is limited research on the current prevalence of cognitive frailty subtypes and their influencing factors in the elderly population. Objective To investigate the current status of cognitive frailty (CF) among community elderly in Beichen District in Tianjin, and to explore the influencing factors of different subtypes of cognitive frailty, so as to provide references for the early identification and intervention of reversible cognitive frailty (RCF) . Methods From June to August 2023, totally 3 916 community residents in Beichen District, Tianjin were recruited with convenience sampling, and a face-to-face questionnaire survey was conducted using the demography questionnaire, FRAIL Frailty Scale, the Brief Mental Status Examination Scale (MMSE), and the Subjective Cognitive Decline Questionnaire (SCD-Q9) to assess the incidence of different types of cognitive frailty and analyze the influencing factors among older people using a multivariate Logistic regression model. Results Among 3 916 participants, 679 (17.34%) with RCF and 440 (11.24%) with PRCF. There were significantly differences in CF prevalence among the elderly with different genders, ages, educational backgrounds, sleep disorders, the prevalence of various types of chronic illnesses, exercise, smoking histories, drinking histories, the number of medications used for chronic illnesses, and hemoglobin levels (P<0.05). Multifactorial Logistic regression analysis showed that with no cognitive frailty as a control, being female (OR=2.186, 95%CI=1.713-2.791), age≥70 years (OR=3.056, 95%CI=2.519-3.708), smoking (OR=1.753, 95%CI=1.431-2.146), having a sleep disorder (OR=1.275, 95%CI=1.046-1.555), low hemoglobin levels (OR=1.531, 95%CI=1.026-2.284), and≥3 medications for a chronic condition (OR=2.168, 95%CI=1.490-3.156) were associated with a higher risk of RCF, and exercise (OR=0.459, 95%CI=0.382-0.551) was associated with a lower risk of RCF (P<0.05) ; being female (OR=1.941, 95%CI=1.465-2.573), age≥70 years (OR=1.830, 95%CI=1.460-2.292), drinking (OR=2.270, 95%CI=1.734-2.970), having a sleep disorder (OR=1.996, 95%CI=1.557-2.560), stroke (OR=2.114, 95%CI=1.026-4.355), low hemoglobin levels (OR=1.991, 95%CI=1.288-3.078), and ≥3 medications for a chronic condition (OR=1.626, 95%CI=1.050-2.518) were associated with a higher risk of PRCF, and exercise (OR=0.522, 95%CI=0.423-0.644) was associated with a lower risk of PRCF in the aged (P<0.05) . Conclusion The prevalence of reversible and potentially reversible cognitive frailty is high among the elderly in the community of Beichen District in Tianjin. It is recommended to add the assessment of CF into community physical examinations and implement multidimensional effective strategies to delay the onset and progression of CF.