Background
Methods
Participants
Frailty and cognitive evaluation
UEF procedure and outcomes
Parameter | Definition |
---|---|
Speed | Mean value of the elbow angular velocity range (maximum minus minimum speed) |
Flexibility | Mean value of the elbow flexion range |
Power | Mean value of the product of the angular acceleration range and the range of angular velocity |
Rise time | Mean value of the time required to reach the maximum angular velocity |
Moment | Mean value of the maximum moment on elbow within each flexion/extension; estimated from the moment of inertia of the forearm and the hand, and elbow motion |
Speed variability | Coefficient of variation (standard deviation divided by the mean) of the angular velocity range |
Speed reduction | Difference in the angular velocity range between the last and the first 5 s of elbow flexion as a percentage of the initial angular velocity range |
Flexion number | Number of flexion/extensions during 20 s |
Statistical analysis and UEF index development
Results
Participants
Variable | Non-frail | Pre-frail | Frail |
p-value (ES) |
---|---|---|---|---|
Number, n (% of total) | 132 (37%) | 175 (50%) | 45 (13%) | - |
Male, n (% of the group) | 52 (39%) | 59 (34%) | 12 (27%) | 0.26 |
Age, year (SD) | 75.95 (7.45) | 80.20 (9.70) | 83.62 (7.09) | <0.001* (0.33) |
Height, cm (SD) | 165.91 (11.40) | 163.20 (9.40) | 161.32 (9.48) | 0.01* (0.16) |
Weight, kg (SD) | 74.24 (17.20) | 73.76 (18.56) | 74.26 (17.95) | 0.97 (0.01) |
Body mass index, kg/m2 (SD) | 26.79 (4.61) | 27.60 (6.21) | 28.56 (6.56) | 0.17 (0.10) |
Mini-mental state examination, 0–30 (SD) (Data from 286 participants) | 28.92 (1.23) | 28.27 (1.90) | 28.28 (1.86) | <0.01* (0.02) |
Montreal cognitive assessment, 0–30 (SD) (Data from 134 participants) | 25.26 (3.44) | 23.96 (4.01) | 23.30 (3.61) | 0.09 (0.20) |
UEF categorical index
Independent variables | Parameter estimates | Standard errors | chi-square (χ2) |
p-value | 95% CI (Lower) | 95% CI (Upper) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Intercept, [non-frail] | −2.6304 | 2.0702 | 1.61 | 0.20 | −6.5822 | 1.5641 |
Intercept, [pre-frail] | 1.5140 | 2.0759 | 0.53 | 0.47 | −2.4535 | 5.7244 |
Speed, deg./s | 0.0025 | 0.0010 | 6.12 | 0.01* | 0.0005 | 0.0045 |
Flexibility, deg | 0.0207 | 0.0069 | 8.90 | <0.01* | 0.0073 | 0.0345 |
Log (Moment), Nm | 0.7176 | 0.3278 | 4.79 | 0.03* | 0.0870 | 1.3627 |
Speed variability, % | −0.0441 | 0.0206 | 4.55 | 0.03* | −0.0847 | −0.0058 |
Speed reduction, % | −0.0342 | 0.0153 | 4.98 | 0.03* | −0.0647 | −0.0045 |
Flexion number, n | 0.0647 | 0.0284 | 5.96 | 0.01* | 0.0099 | 0.1205 |
Sex, [female] | 0.1214 | 0.1570 | 0.60 | 0.44 | −0.1894 | 0.4341 |
Age, year | −0.0206 | 0.0158 | 1.70 | 0.19 | −0.0514 | 0.0099 |
BMI, kg/m2
| −0.0611 | 0.0284 | 5.96 | 0.01* | −0.1112 | −0.0126 |