Association between frailty and dietary quality in community-dwelling elderly: data from the 6th Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2014–2015)

Frailty is a progressive age-related disorder associated with odds ratio for subsequent falls, disability, and mortality. This study analyzed the association between frailty odds ratios and diet quality using the Korean Healthy Eating Index in older individuals. Data were obtained for 2,660 community-dwelling individuals aged ≥60 years who participated in the 6th Korea National Health and Nutrition Survey (2014–2015). Frailty was diagnosed following the Fried phenotype index based on five criteria: unintentional weight loss, emotional exhaustion, low physical activity, slow walking speed, and weak grip strength. The participants were categorized as normal, pre-frail, and frail. Diet quality was assessed using Korean Healthy Eating Index scores calculated based on 24-h dietary recall. Compared to the group with the highest Korean Healthy Eating Index score, the group with low Korean Healthy Eating Index showed a 1.71-fold higher pre-frail odds ratio (95% CI 1.31–2.22, p<0.001) and 1.87-fold higher frail odds ratio (95% CI 1.21–2.91, p = 0.009). Also, compared to the group with the highest adequacy score, the group with the lowest score showed a 1.51-fold higher pre-frail odds ratio (95% CI 1.16–1.96, p = 0.010) and a 2.39-fold higher frail odds ratio (95% CI 1.48–3.86, p = 0.002). The findings of this study suggested that a high-quality diet, as assessed by Korean Healthy Eating Index, was negatively associated with the odds ratio of frailty.