Gender differences in social-demographic factors associated with prefrailty in Japanese rural community-dwelling older adults

Frailty in older adults is an important health issue. To prevent frailty, it is necessary to focus on prefrailty and consider preventive interventions that incorporate social aspects. This study investigated factors affecting prefrailty, focusing on social aspects.A self-administered survey was conducted among residents aged ≥65 years in Japan. The survey assessed basic attributes, physical factors, mental factors, and social factors. The Kihon Checklist (KCL) was used to assess prefrailty. KCL scores were used to categorize participants into a prefrailty group and a healthy group. Logistic regression analysis was used to examine the relationship between prefrailty and scores for each gender. Social factors significantly associated with prefrailty for women were social participation in middle age (odds ratio: 2.34, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.08–5.05, p=0.031) and having friends who listen to one’s concerns (odds ratio: 2.34, 95% CI: 1.03–5.32, p=0.043). However, no association with social factors was found for men.This study showed that interventionable social factors that affected prefrailty in women were community involvement and being able to share concerns with friends. The findings suggest the need for support that emphasizes social aspects to prevent prefrailty. However, further research on social factors among men is warranted.