ABSTRACT
Objective
to analyze the relationship between social participation and physical frailty condition of hospitalized older adults.
Method
analytical cross-sectional study, developed in a public hospital in southern Brazil. Data collection took place from March to May 2023, using sociodemographic and clinical questionnaires, an activity inventory and physical frailty phenotype testing. Descriptive analyses, the Kruskal-Wallis test and Dunn's multiple comparisons were used.
Results
of the 124 older people evaluated, 54.8% were male, 14.5% non-frail, 39.5% pre-frail, 46% frail. There was a growing increase in the status of non-frail, pre-frail and frail in the domains, never has contact with other people through letters or e-mail (22.2%; 40.8%; 61.4%), never provides assistance to other people (27.8%; 40.8%; 80.7%), never performs voluntary work (77.8%; 77.6%; 98.2%), never travels (33.3%; 53.1%; 84.2%), never goes out with people for leisure activities (16.7%; 28.6%; 56.1%), never participates in social activities (38.9%, 44.9%; 75.4%), never drives vehicles (66.7%, 63.3%; 94%).
Conclusion
older adults who never practice social participation activities are at greater risk of transitioning to physical frailty.
Implication for practice
the domains of social participation should be included in the care plan in the hospital context, as further support to prevent and/or reverse frailty in the older population.
Keywords:
Frailty; Hospitalization; Older Adults; Social Participation; Prevalence