Photo/Illutration Older people exercising to ward off frailty (Asahi Shimbun file photo)

Frailty among older people became more pronounced because of restrictions on social activities during the COVID-19 pandemic, a study suggests.

Frailty, a condition between being relatively healthy and a state requiring nursing care, refers to a decline in intellectual and physical vigor as well as muscle strength.

A research team at the International University of Health and Welfare analyzed results of an annual health survey that the city of Otawara in Tochigi Prefecture conducts based on international frailty standards. The university’s Department of Physical Therapy is based in Otawara.

In a questionnaire sent in May, residents who turn 70 and 75 that year are asked to answer 25 questions in seven categories, including activities about daily living and physical function.

One point is awarded if the person answers “no” to questions such as “Do you go shopping for daily necessities?” or “yes” to statements such as “I lack a sense of fulfillment in everyday life.”

Those who receive eight points or more are regarded as being in “frailty” status, while those who get three points or less are deemed to be “robust.”

The study was based on 5,222 valid responses received between 2017 and 2021.

The results of the 2022 survey are still being analyzed.

The research team found that those regarded as being in “frailty” status increased from 11.5 percent in 2017 to 16.4 percent in 2020 and 17.4 percent in 2021, while those deemed “robust” decreased from 62.7 percent in 2017 to 57.3 percent in 2020 and 50.7 percent in 2021.

Those regarded as being in “pre-frailty” status with a score of between 4 and 7 generally rose during the pandemic.

Specifically, those who answered “no” to “Do you sometimes visit your friends?” and those who answered “yes” to “Do you go out less frequently compared to last year?” exceeded 20 percent in 2020 and topped 30 percent in 2021.

Both remained between 10 and 20 percent from 2017 to 2019.

“As community activities were called off during the COVID-19 pandemic, there were less interactions among friends and fewer occasions to go out,” noted Tamaki Hirose, an assistant professor of physical therapy at the International University of Health and Welfare.

“Like one domino falling after another, health (of older people) could have been undermined by decreased social involvement opportunities.”

Stressing the importance of continuing social activities, she advised people to keep up with their hobbies and community activities while taking precautions against novel coronavirus infection.

The team’s findings were published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.

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