Relationship between frontal assessment battery scores and activities of daily living/instrumental activities of daily living ability in older adults

[Purpose] The present study aimed to investigate the relationship between Frontal Assessment Battery scores and the ability to perform activities of daily living/instrumental activities of daily living based on child development, as well as the ability of Frontal Assessment Battery score to predict functional age. [Participants and Methods] The present cross-sectional study included 85 older adults (mean age: 83.5 years, standard deviation: 7.3; men: 23, women: 62; facility-dwelling: 43, home-based: 42) recruited from nursing homes and day centers in Hiroshima and Hyogo, Japan. All the participants were assessed using the Frontal Assessment Battery and perform activities of daily living/instrumental activities of daily living Cognitive Level Version 2.0 scale (ADL/IADL-COG ver.2.0). Spearman rank correlation coefficients and single regression analyses were performed to determine the relationship between the Frontal Assessment Battery score and functional age. The regression equation was then used to predict functional age based on the Frontal Assessment Battery score. [Results] We observed a strong correlation between the Frontal Assessment Battery score and functional age (rs=0.80). Furthermore, the linear regression equation for functional age exhibited a high predictive accuracy (R(2)=0.64). Our results thus indicated that Frontal Assessment Battery scores could be used to predict functional age according to the following equation: functional age (years)=0.56 × Frontal Assessment Battery score + 1.19 and Frontal Assessment Battery score=1.15 × functional age (years) + 1.86. [Conclusion] The present results indicate a significant relationship between Frontal Assessment Battery and perform activities of daily living/instrumental activities of daily living ability based on child development. Functional age, as predicted based on the Frontal Assessment Battery score, may aid rehabilitation practitioners in analyzing the relationship between cognitive function and perform activities of daily living/instrumental activities of daily living ability, setting goals regarding perform activities of daily living/instrumental activities of daily living, and selecting intervention targets in older adults.