Social frailty and the incidence of motoric cognitive risk syndrome in older adults

Abstract INTRODUCTION Various associations between social factors and motoric cognitive risk syndrome (MCR) have been reported. However, whether social frailty (integrated from multiple social factors) is associated with MCR is still unclear. METHODS We included 4657 individuals without MCR at Round 1 of the NHATS as the discovery sample, and 3075 newly recruited individuals from Round 5 of the NHATS as the independent validation sample. Social frailty was assessed by five social items. MCR was defined as the presence of both subjective cognitive complaints and slow gait speed in individuals without dementia or mobility disability. RESULTS Compared with normal individuals, those with social frailty had higher risk of incident MCR (hazard ratio [HR]: 1.57, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.34–1.84). Each additional unfavorable social item was associated with an increased risk of MCR (HR: 1.32, 95% CI: 1.22–1.43). DISCUSSION Social frailty was associated with an increased risk of incident MCR in older adults. Highlights Various associations between social factors and motoric cognitive risk syndrome (MCR) have been reported. Social frailty that integrated from multiple social factors was associated with an increased risk of incident MCR. Social frailty should be included in the early screening of individuals to identify those at higher risk of MCR.