Socioeconomic Position and Malnutrition among Older Adults: Results from the FRADEA Study.

OBJECTIVES: Low socioeconomic position (SEP) is related to many health-related conditions in older adults. However, there is a lack of knowledge on the association between SEP and malnutrition, a condition with serious consequences for older people in terms of quality of life and adverse health events. In the current study, we investigated socioeconomic inequalities in malnutrition and sub-domains of malnutrition in a sample of Spanish older adults. DESIGN: Cross-sectional population-based study. SETTING: Urban area of Albacete, Spain. PARTICIPANTS: 836 participants over age 70 from the first measurement wave (2007-2009) of the Frailty and Dependence in Albacete (FRADEA) study, a population-based cohort study. MEASUREMENTS: Educational level and occupational level were the indicators of SEP. Nutritional risk was measured with the Mini Nutrition Assessment® Short Form (MNA®-SF). Logistic regression analyses were performed. RESULTS: For both socioeconomic indicators there was a statistically significant association with nutritional risk (OR low education=1.99, 95% CI=1.18-3.35; OR low occupational level=1.71, 95% CI=1.08-2.72). However, these associations disappeared after adjusting for age and sex (OR low education=1.51, 95% CI=0.88-2.60 ; OR low occupational level=1.32, 95% CI=0.80-2.17). In adjusted models, statistically significant associations between SEP and sub-domains of the MNA®-SF were observed, but these associations were not consistent across socioeconomic indicators. CONCLUSIONS: This study found that malnutrition is a condition that can appear in any older adult, regardless of their socioeconomic group. These findings suggest that interventions to prevent malnutrition in older adults can be targeted at a general older population, and do not have to be SEP specific.

Frailty and Fear of Falling: The FISTAC Study.

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the association between frailty and Fear of Falling (FoF) in a cohort of older adults with previous falls. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study (FISTAC). SETTING: Falls Unit, Complejo Hospitalario Universitario of Albacete (Spain). PARTICIPANTS: 183 adults older than 69 years, from the Falls Unit, with a history of a previous fall in the last year. MEASUREMENTS: FoF was assessed at baseline using the Falls Efficacy Scale International (FES-I) and three questions previously validated. Frailty was assessed with the frailty phenotype criteria. Age, gender, comorbidity, nutritional status, cognitive status and risk of depression were determined. RESULTS: Mean age 78.4, 80.3% women. FoF was present in 140 (76.5%) participants with the three questions and 102 (55.7%) presented high concern of falling with the FES-I. 88.8% of frail older adults presented FoF compared to 62.4% of those who were not frail, and only 37.8% of non frail had a high concern of falling, compared to 77.2% of those who were frail measured with the FES-I. Frail participants had an adjusted risk of FoF that was 3.18 (95% CI 1.32 to 7.65) higher compared to those who were not frail assessed with the three questions and 3.93 (95% CI 1.85 to 8.36) higher concern of falling when using the FES-I scale. Only female sex and depression risk were also associated to FoF in the final adjusted models. CONCLUSION: Frailty is independently associated with the FoF syndrome in older faller subjects.