Bidirectional association between frailty and quality of life within English longitudinal study of aging

Purpose: The relationship between quality of life (QoL) and frailty has previously been investigated cross-sectionally and longitudinally as unidirectional where QoL depends upon frailty and where frailty depends on QoL. Here a bidirectional relationship is examined.

Methods: This work uses a latent curve model with structured residuals to address the bidirectional association between QoL and frailty in older English people considering within-person and group levels. The study measures frailty using a functional frailty measure and quality of life using CASP-12. The sample size is 17,529.

Results: There is a strong relationship between QoL (Quality of Life) and frailty, which is almost linear and inversely proportional over time. Although the cross-lagged coefficients from QoL to frailty and vice versa showed statistical significance, the impact was found to be minimal. The time between assessments (which are two years apart) and/or the few observations available per individual may have impacted the effect of this relationship. When accounting for gender, age, net wealth, and multimorbidity, some variations in the results were observed at the group level but not at the within-person level.

Conclusion: The study provides empirical evidence that supports a bidirectional association between QoL and frailty in older individuals who reside at home. These results offer valuable insights for healthcare providers, as participants did not exhibit an advanced need for health services. Additionally, involving participants in evaluating and assessing these services enhances their effectiveness and overall benefit.