Sleep quality, frailty components and body composition of community-dwelling older adults: An exploratory study.

BACKGROUND

Sleep patterns change with the aging process, resulting in an increased risk of sleep disorders. Sleep quality might be associated with body composition and has been associated with frailty. The objective of the present study was to evaluate the association of sleep quality with frailty components and body compositions of community-dwelling elderly individuals.

METHODS

Observational and cross-sectional study conducted with ≥60 years of both sexes. Sleep quality was evaluated by the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and the Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS). Self-reports of involuntary weight loss, handgrip strength (HGS), self-reported fatigue by the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS), gait speed (GS) and levels of physical activity were assessed. Anthropometric measurements of body weight, height, calf circumference (CC) and waist circumference (WC), and body composition was assessed.

RESULTS

A total of 141 participants (82% female; 69.5±6.4 years old) were studied. It was found 60% of poor sleep quality. The prevalence of frailty was 2%, and 38% of the participants were classified as prefrail. Positive moderate correlations between sleep quality and BMI, CC, WC, GS, fat mass, fat mass and depressive symptoms (p<0.05) were found. The logistic regression test revealed that HGS was positively associated with good sleep quality, while fat mass and depressive symptoms were negatively associated.

CONCLUSION

The present study demonstrated a high prevalence of poor sleep quality and a low prevalence of frailty in community-dwelling older adults. Sleep was associated with strength, body composition and depressive symptoms in this population.