MEDIATING ROLE OF NUTRITION IN PSYCHOLOGICAL, SOCIAL AND PHYSICAL FRAILTY AMONG HOSPITALIZED OLDER ADULTS IN CHINA

Q: What is the study focus regarding frailty in hospitalized older adults?

The study examines associations among physical, psychological, and social frailty and evaluates whether nutritional status mediates these relationships.

Q: How is frailty measured in this research?

Physical frailty follows Fried frailty criteria; psychological frailty is assessed with MMSE and GDS-15, and social frailty is evaluated using WHOQOL-BREF and PSSS.

Q: What do the mediation analyses indicate?

Nutritional status mediates the relationships between psychological and physical frailty and between social and physical frailty, linking multidimensional frailty to malnutrition.

Sep 29, 2026

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Study investigates how nutritional status mediates links between psychological, social, and physical frailty in hospitalized older adults in China. Fried criteria classify physical frailty; psychological frailty is measured with MMSE and GDS-15, while social frailty uses WHOQOL-BREF and PSSS. Spearman correlations and mediation analyses assess relationships with demographic and clinical factors. Findings show physical frailty associates with psychological and social frailty, with nutritional status as a mediator, supporting comprehensive multidimensional assessment and malnutrition-targeted interventions.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages1

Reading Time3 min

AccessFree to download

Background

Methods

Results

Conclusions

Innovation in Aging, 2025, Vol. 9, No. S2 847 nutritional status mediated the relationship between psychological and physical frailty (MMSE: B = -0.0671, p < 0.0000; GDS-15: B =0.0752, p <0.0001), and between social and physical frailty (WHOQOL-BREF: B = -0.0229, p < 0.0000; PSSS: B =-0.0165, p <0.0001). Conclusions: Physical frailty in elderly inpatients is associated with psychological and social frailty, with nutritional status mediating these relationships. Therefore, it is essential to conduct comprehensive assessments for the multidimensional aspects of frailty present in these patients, targeted interventions addressing malnutrition could disrupt the vicious cycle of multidimensional frailty. Abstract citation ID: igaf122.2869 MEDIATING ROLE OF NUTRITION IN PSYCHOLOGICAL, SOCIAL AND PHYSICAL FRAILTY AMONG HOSPITALIZED OLDER ADULTS IN CHINA Jing Ge, Ping He, Bei Cheng, Wenhan Li, Aihong Liu, Tangmeng Guo, Kemeng Zhang, and Yi Zhang, Department of Geriatrics, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, 1277 Jiefang Avenue, Wuhan 430022, Hubei, China, Wuhan, Hubei, China (People’s Republic) Background: To investigate the association between physical, psychological, and social frailty, and to explore the mediating factors that affect frailty in elderly inpatients, while providing scientific evidence for frailty intervention. Methods: Across-sectional study enrolled 134 hospitalized older patients with geriatric diseases. Based on the Fried frailty criteria, patients were categorized into physically frail and non-physically frail groups. Psychological frailty was assessed using the MMSE and GDS-15, while social frailty was evaluated with the WHOQOL-BREF and PSSS. Spearman’s correlation analyzed the relationship between the demographic variables and frailty. Mediation analyses elucidated relationships between frailty dimensions and their underlying mediators. Results: Age, self-care ability, risk of malnutrition, and comorbidity were significantly related with physical frailty. Meanwhile, psychological frailty Cognitive impairment and depression and social frailty social support and quality of life were positively correlated to physical frailty status. In addition, mediation analyses indicated that

FAQs

What is the study focus regarding frailty in hospitalized older adults?

The study examines associations among physical, psychological, and social frailty and evaluates whether nutritional status mediates these relationships.

How is frailty measured in this research?

Physical frailty follows Fried frailty criteria; psychological frailty is assessed with MMSE and GDS-15, and social frailty is evaluated using WHOQOL-BREF and PSSS.

What do the mediation analyses indicate?

Nutritional status mediates the relationships between psychological and physical frailty and between social and physical frailty, linking multidimensional frailty to malnutrition.

Sep 29, 2026

Upload by Jake