Frailty, Nutrition, and Quality of Life in Urban-Dwelling Older Adults Facing Vulnerability: Observational Study in Primary Heath Cares: estudo transversal realizado na Atenção Primária Brasileira

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Objective: To analyze the association between vulnerability, nutritional aspects, frailty, and quality of life (QoL) in older adults receiving care in Primary Health Care (PHC) settings. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study conducted with community-dwelling older adults. The Vulnerable Elders Survey (VES-13), Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA), and Edmonton Frailty Scale (EFS) were used to assess the variables of interest. Statistical analyses included association tests, Spearman correlations, and binary logistic regression to identify predictors of vulnerability. Results: The sample consisted of n = 323 individuals, of whom n = 148 (45.8%) were classified as vulnerable. A moderate negative correlation was found with nutritional status (r = -0.38, p < 0.001). Regarding frailty and quality of life, the domains assessing physical and functional status showed strong correlations with vulnerability (r > 0.49, p < 0.050). Binary logistic regression analysis also highlighted frailty, particularly its functional domains, as significant predictors of vulnerability, with poorer scores associated with higher risk. Conclusion: There was a clear association between vulnerability, nutritional status, frailty, and quality of life. Among these, the most refined analyses identified functional impairments related to frailty as key predictors of vulnerability in older adults.

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