ABSTRACT
Background
From an individual’s perspective, social frailty may act as a key determinant of social capital, which is essential for meeting social needs and improvement of overall wellbeing. The present study aimed to understand the social frailty and its determining factors among Indian older adults.
Methods
Data from the Longitudinal Ageing Study in India (LASI)-wave 1 was used. For the assessment of social frailty the study proposed a multidimensional Social Frailty Index (SFI) score ranging between 0 and 100 using 17 indicators. Bivariate analysis and quantile regression models were applied.
Results
The study results indicated that on average female older adults (mean SFI = 63.7) are relatively more socially frail than male older adults (mean SFI = 59.0). Further, the quantile regression analysis revealed that at the 10th, 25th, 50th, and 75th percentiles, female older adults were significantly more likely to be socially frail than male older adults (β = 3.80, p < .01; β = 2.82, p < .01; β = 1.72, p < .01; and β = 2.62, p < .01, respectively). Educational attainment and better economic condition showed a protective effect against social frailty.
Conclusions
Investment to improve geriatric health status and socioeconomic conditions shall be a key focus to reduce social frailty prevalence among the older adults. A specific consideration is needed for addressing social frailty among female older adults.
Acknowledgement
This work was undertaken as a part of the project entitled ‘Integrating Aging Research with Policy and Program in India’, supported by the United Nations Population Fund, New Delhi. The authors would like to thank Prof. K.S. James and Dr. Sanjay Kumar for their encouragement to carry out this study.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).
Supplementary material
Supplemental data for this article can be accessed online at https://doi.org/10.1080/0361073X.2023.2195291