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IJERPH
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Social Vulnerability and Frailty in Older People
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Social Vulnerability and Frailty in Older People

A special issue of International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (ISSN 1660-4601).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 September 2019) | Viewed by 10555

Special Issue Editors

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Melissa Andrew

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Division of Geriatric Medicine, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada
Interests: frailty; social vulnerability; dementia; cognition; Alzheimer’s disease
Dr. Judith Godin

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Division of Geriatric Medicine, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Canada
Interests: frailty; social vulnerability; cognition; older workers; retirement

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Examining the effects of social factors on health a single factor at a time can provide useful information regarding the particular social factor under investigation. The single-factor approach, however, ignores the possibility that multiple social factors interact with one another to impact health and well-being. For example, an individual with a strong social network may not experience any health deficits due to living alone, whereas living alone may lead to health deficits for an individual with a different set of social circumstances outside the home. Social vulnerability is a holistic concept that represents the extent individuals’ overall social circumstances, including factors from a range of spheres of influence (e.g., individual, family, peer group, neighborhood, and society), leave them susceptible to health issues, such as frailty. Similarly, frailty is a state of increased vulnerability to further health problems. Both frailty and social vulnerability increase with age, making them important considerations for the health and well-being of older adults. For this Special Issue, we welcome articles that describe original research that examines social factors in a holistic fashion and how these predict (or are predicted by) or interact with frailty on other health and well-being outcomes. Studies that are applicable to clinical practice or the improvement of health and social policy are particularly welcome.

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Melissa Andrew
Dr. Judith Godin
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2500 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • Social vulnerability
  • Frailty
  • Older people

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

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12 pages, 352 KiB  
Article
The Relationship between Cognitive Impairment and Social Vulnerability among the Elderly: Evidence from an Unconditional Quantile Regression Analysis in China
by Junkai Zhao, Xinxin Zhang and Zongmin Li
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2019, 16(19), 3684; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijerph16193684 - 30 Sep 2019
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2673
Abstract
As the global proportion of the elderly population has been growing rapidly, it has become important to better understand the holistic social factors involved in cognitive impairment in the elderly. To investigate the relationship between social vulnerability and cognitive impairment in the elderly, [...] Read more.
As the global proportion of the elderly population has been growing rapidly, it has become important to better understand the holistic social factors involved in cognitive impairment in the elderly. To investigate the relationship between social vulnerability and cognitive impairment in the elderly, this study applied an unconditional quantile regression model on open source health survey data in China. It was used to estimate the relationship for full sample and subsamples divided by different levels of a specific covariate. It was found that the cognitive impairment had a positive association with social vulnerability, and this relationship is stronger at the higher cognitive impairment quantiles. The cognitive impairment of females and elderly who took less exercise; had lower self-rated health; had greater incidences of depression, chronic diseases, and physical limitations; and consumed less fruit and vegetables, milk and tea were more related to social vulnerability. These results provide some insights into the strategies that could be used by the elderly to decrease the risk of cognitive impairment. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Social Vulnerability and Frailty in Older People)
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9 pages, 301 KiB  
Article
Social Vulnerability in Patients with Multimorbidity: A Cross-Sectional Analysis
by Tu N. Nguyen, Patrice Ngangue, Tarek Bouhali, Bridget L. Ryan, Moira Stewart and Martin Fortin
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2019, 16(7), 1244; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijerph16071244 - 8 Apr 2019
Cited by 30 | Viewed by 4127
Abstract
Background: Social aspects play an important role in individual health and should be taken into consideration in the long-term care for people with multimorbidity. Purposes: To describe social vulnerability, to examine its correlation with the number of chronic conditions, and to investigate which [...] Read more.
Background: Social aspects play an important role in individual health and should be taken into consideration in the long-term care for people with multimorbidity. Purposes: To describe social vulnerability, to examine its correlation with the number of chronic conditions, and to investigate which chronic conditions were significantly associated with the most socially vulnerable state in patients with multimorbidity. Methods: Cross-sectional analysis from the baseline data of the Patient-Centred Innovations for Persons with Multimorbidity (PACEinMM) Study. Participants were patients attending primary healthcare settings in Quebec, Canada. A social vulnerability index was applied to identify social vulnerability level. The index value ranges from 0 to 1 (1 as the most vulnerable). Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient was calculated for the correlation between the social vulnerability index and the number of chronic conditions. Logistic regression was applied to investigate which chronic conditions were independently associated with the most socially vulnerable state. Results: There were 301 participants, mean age 61.0 ± 10.5, 53.2% female. The mean number of chronic health conditions was 5.01 ± 1.82, with the most common being hyperlipidemia (78.1%), hypertension (69.4%), and obesity (54.2%). The social vulnerability index had a median value of 0.13 (range 0.00–0.78). There was a positive correlation between the social vulnerability index and the number of chronic conditions (r = 0.24, p < 0.001). Obesity, depression/anxiety, and cardiovascular diseases were significantly associated with the most socially vulnerable patients with multimorbidity. Conclusions: There was a significant correlation between social vulnerability and the total number of chronic conditions, with depression/anxiety, obesity, and cardiovascular diseases being the most related to social vulnerability. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Social Vulnerability and Frailty in Older People)

Other

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13 pages, 311 KiB  
Brief Report
Prevalence and Associated Factors of Frailty in Community-Dwelling Older Adults in Indonesia, 2014–2015
by Supa Pengpid and Karl Peltzer
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2020, 17(1), 10; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijerph17010010 - 18 Dec 2019
Cited by 19 | Viewed by 3210
Abstract
Objective: The investigation aims to study the prevalence and correlates of frailty in a national community-dwelling sample of older Indonesians. Methods: Participants were 2630 older adults, 60 years and older (median age 66.0 years, interquartile range = 9.0) who took part [...] Read more.
Objective: The investigation aims to study the prevalence and correlates of frailty in a national community-dwelling sample of older Indonesians. Methods: Participants were 2630 older adults, 60 years and older (median age 66.0 years, interquartile range = 9.0) who took part in the cross-sectional Indonesia Family Life Survey (IFLS-5) in 2014–2015. They were requested to provide information about sociodemographic and various health variables, including frailty. Multivariable Poisson regression analysis was utilized to estimate the correlates of socio-demographic factors, health variables, and frailty. Results: The overall prevalence of frailty was 8.1%; 61.6% were prefrail. In adjusted Poisson regression analysis, older age, being unmarried, separated, divorced or widowed, residing in Java and major island groups, poor cognitive functioning, loneliness, and functional disability were associated with frailty. Conclusion: Several sociodemographic and health risk factors for frailty were identified that can help in guiding intervention strategies in Indonesia. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Social Vulnerability and Frailty in Older People)
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