To explore the relationship between social activity level and the risk of frailty among older adults in China.

This older adults aged ≥60 years without frailty were selected from the CHARLS database.A baseline survey was conducted in 2013,with follow-ups on frailty occurrence in 2015 and 2018. Poisson regression was used to analyze the impact of social activity level on frailty incidence.Subgroup analyses were further conducted based on gender,alcohol consumption, and life satisfaction.

A total of 3 287 older adults were included,with a frailty incidence of 19.17%.After controlling for variables such as age,gender,marital status,education level,and smoking status,older adults with a high level of social activity had a 34.9% lower risk of frailty compared to those with low to moderate levels[RR=0.651,95%CI(0.545,0.778)].Subgroup analysis showed that,except for older adults dissatisfied with their lives,where the association between social activity level and frailty risk was not statistically significant,the risk of frailty was significantly reduced in older adults with high social activity levels across different genders,alcohol consumption status,and those satisfied with their lives(P<0.05).

A high level of social activity is an important protective factor in delaying the onset of frailty.Additionally,we should pay attention to psychological and social changes in male older adults,those who consume alcohol,and those with high life satisfaction,so as to helping them build strong social networks and provide psychological interventions when necessary.