Evidence map›Paper›PMID 37814920›Full record

ArticleJournal of the American Geriatrics Society2024

The association between frailty and perceived physical and mental fatigability: The Long Life Family Study.

Benjamin T Schumacher, Dustin S Kehler, Alexander M Kulminski, Yujia Susanna Qiao, Stacy L Andersen, Theresa Gmelin, Kaare Christensen, Mary K Wojczynski, Olga Theou, Kenneth Rockwood and 3 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. How human and animal frailty index studies can inform each other: a brief narrative review.The journals of gerontology. Series A, Biological sciences and medical sciences · 2026
    Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

13 authors.

Benjamin T SchumacherDepartment of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-3099-3387
Dustin S KehlerSchool of Physiotherapy, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.
Alexander M KulminskiBiodemography of Aging Research Unit, Social Science Research Institute, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, USA.
Yujia Susanna QiaoDepartment of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA.
Stacy L AndersenDepartment of Medicine, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-2442-6386
Theresa GmelinDepartment of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA.
Kaare ChristensenDanish Aging Research Center, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark.
Mary K WojczynskiSchool of Medicine, Washington University, St. Louis, Missouri, USA.
Olga TheouSchool of Physiotherapy, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.ORCID 0000-0001-6460-782X
Kenneth RockwoodDivision of Geriatric Medicine, Department of Medicine, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.
Anne B NewmanDepartment of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA.
Nancy W GlynnDepartment of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA.ORCID 0000-0003-2265-0162
LLFS Research Group

Funding

The Long Life Family StudyU19AG063893 · NIA · WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY · PI Stacy Andersen, KAARE CHRISTENSEN · 2019 to 2026
$125.4M
Long Life Family Study: Data Management and Coordinating CenterU01AG023746 · NIA · WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY · PI PROVINCE, MICHAEL A. · 2004 to 2018
$29.2M
VARIABILITY, STABILITY & SMOOTHNESS OF WALKINGP30AG024827 · NIA · UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH AT PITTSBURGH · PI JENNIFER S BRACH · 2004 to 2026
$28.6M
TRAJECTORIES OF MORTALITY IN CAENORHABDITIS ELEGANSP01AG008761 · NIA · UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA TWIN CITIES · PI VAUPEL, JAMES W. · 1990 to 2008
$17.5M
The Long Life Family StudyU01AG023755 · NIA · BOSTON MEDICAL CENTER · PI PERLS, THOMAS T · 2004 to 2018
$13.2M
Plasma beta-amyloid in long lived families: genetics and risk of ADU01AG023749 · NIA · COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY HEALTH SCIENCES · PI COSENTINO, STEPHANIE ANN, LEE, JOSEPH HYUNGWOO · 2004 to 2018
$13.0M
Multicenter Study on Exceptional Survival in Families: The Long Life Family StudyU01AG023744 · NIA · UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH AT PITTSBURGH · PI NEWMAN, ANNE B., ZMUDA, JOSEPH M. · 2004 to 2018
$12.0M
Long Life Family Study: Duke Univ./Univ. of Southern Denmark Field CenterU01AG023712 · NIA · DUKE UNIVERSITY · PI CHRISTENSEN, KAARE · 2004 to 2018
$10.4M
TRAINING IN THE EPIDEMIOLOGY OF AGINGT32AG000181 · NIA · UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH AT PITTSBURGH · PI STROTMEYER, ELSA S. · 1989 to 2025
$6.2M
NIA NIH HHS P01 AG008761NIA NIH HHS P01 AG08761NIA NIH HHS P30 AG024827NIA NIH HHS T32 AG000181NIA NIH HHS T32AG000181NIA NIH HHS U01 AG023712NIA NIH HHS U01AG023712NIA NIH HHS U01 AG023744NIA NIH HHS U01AG023744NIA NIH HHS U01 AG023746NIA NIH HHS U01AG023746NIA NIH HHS U01 AG023749NIA NIH HHS U01AG023749NIA NIH HHS U01 AG023755NIA NIH HHS U01AG023755
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundHigher levels of frailty, quantified by a frailty index (FI), may be linked to fatigue severity as tasks become more physically and mentally demanding. Fatigue, a component of frailty research, has been ambiguous and inconsistent in its operationalization. Fatigability-the quantification of vulnerability to fatigue in relation to specific intensity and duration of activities-offers a more sensitive and standardized approach, though the association between frailty and fatigability has not been assessed.

methodsUsing cross-sectional data from the Long Life Family Study at Visit 2 (2014-2017; N = 2524; mean age ± standard deviation (SD) 71.4 ± 11.2 years; 55% women; 99% White), we examined associations between an 83-item FI after excluding fatigue items (ratio of number of health problems reported (numerator) out of the total assessed (denominator); higher ratio = greater frailty) and perceived physical and mental fatigability using the Pittsburgh Fatigability Scale (PFS) (range 0-50; higher scores = greater fatigability).

resultsParticipants had mean ± standard deviation FI (0.08 ± 0.06; observed range: 0.0-0.43), PFS Physical (13.7 ± 9.6; 39.5% more severe, ≥15), and PFS Mental (7.9 ± 8.9; 22.8% more severe, ≥13). The prevalence of more severe physical and mental fatigability was higher across FI quartiles. In mixed effects models accounting for family structure, a clinically meaningful 3%-higher FI was associated with 1.9 points higher PFS Physical score (95% confidence interval (CI) 1.7-2.1) and 1.7 points higher PFS Mental score (95% CI 1.5-1.9) after adjusting for covariates.

conclusionsFrailty was associated with perceived physical and mental fatigability severity. Understanding this association may support the development of interventions to mitigate the risks associated with greater frailty and perceived fatigability. Including measurements of perceived fatigability, in lieu of fatigue, in frailty indices has the potential to alleviate the inconsistencies and ambiguity surrounding the operationalization of fatigue and provide a more precise and sensitive measurement of frailty.

Indexed as

FrailtyCross-Sectional StudiesFatigueFemaleHumansMaleResearch Designepidemiologyfatiguerisk factor

Identifiers

PMID37814920
PMCPMC10843058

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.