Table 1.
Characteristics of the study participants according to physical frailty status at age 70 years (n=950)
| Characteristic | Not frail (n=434) |
Prefrail (n=444) |
Frail (n=72) |
P for difference |
| Age (years), mean (SD) | 69.4 (0.87) | 69.6 (0.81) | 69.5 (0.76) | 0.017 |
| Female, no (%) | 217 (50.0) | 227 (51.1) | 38 (52.8) | 0.893 |
| Years of full-time education, median (IQR) | 10 (10–12) | 10 (10–11) | 10 (10–10) | 0.0001 |
| Smoking status, no (%) | 0.008 | |||
| Never | 217 (50.0) | 199 (44.8) | 28 (38.9) | |
| Ex | 184 (42.4) | 196 (44.1) | 29 (40.3) | |
| Current | 33 (7.60) | 49 (11.0) | 15 (20.8) | |
| Depressive symptom score, median (IQR) | 1 (0–2) | 1 (0–3) | 3 (1–5) | 0.0001 |
| Number of chronic physical illnesses, median (IQR) | 1 (0–1) | 1 (0–2) | 2 (1–2) | 0.0001 |
| Cognitive factor score estimates for level, mean (SD) | ||||
| Visuospatial ability | 0.15 (0.95) | −0.04 (1.01) | −0.67 (0.92) | <0.0001 |
| Memory | 0.13 (0.96) | −0.03 (1.02) | −0.60 (0.95) | <0.0001 |
| Speed | 0.17 (0.95) | −0.04 (0.98) | −0.77 (1.05) | <0.0001 |
| Crystallised ability | 0.12 (0.97) | −0.05 (1.00) | −0.45 (1.08) | <0.0001 |
| General cognitive ability | 0.16 (0.94) | −0.04 (1.01) | −0.70 (0.96) | <0.0001 |
| Cognitive factor score estimates for slope, mean (SD) | ||||
| Visuospatial ability | 0.07 (0.96) | −0.006 (1.03) | −0.39 (0.95) | 0.002 |
| Memory | 0.05 (1.02) | −0.001 (0.99) | −0.27 (0.86) | 0.041 |
| Speed | 0.07 (0.95) | −0.003 (1.04) | −0.40 (0.97) | 0.001 |
| Crystallised ability | 0.08 (0.96) | −0.02 (1.04) | −0.36 (0.96) | 0.003 |
| General cognitive ability | 0.07 (0.96) | −0.01 (1.03) | −0.39 (0.95) | 0.001 |