Sources of enjoyment in life and frailty among community-dwelling older adults: cross-sectional and longitudinal associations

Abstract Objectives Although greater life enjoyment is associated with a lower risk of frailty, little is known about the association between sources of life enjoyment and frailty. This study investigated the associations between the variety and types of sources of enjoyment in life (“enjoyment sources”) and frailty among community-dwelling older adults. Methods Cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses were conducted using data from a community-based cohort study in Japan. In 2020, questionnaires were mailed to 4,996 randomly selected adults aged ≥65 years, and 2,764 responded. Follow-up questionnaires were sent to 1,635 consenting participants in 2023, with 904 responses obtained. Frailty was assessed using a 5-item self-report questionnaire at baseline and follow-up. Enjoyment sources were assessed through yes/no and open-ended questions at baseline and categorized using content analysis. The number of identified categories was counted, and participants were classified into no-source, single-source, and multiple-source groups. Results The cross-sectional analysis included 2,361 participants, and the prevalence of frailty was 26.6%, 16.7%, and 11.3% in the no-source, single-source, and multiple-source groups, respectively. Cross-sectional analyses showed that a greater variety of enjoyment sources was associated with lower odds of both prefrailty and frailty. In the 3-year longitudinal analysis, 688 participants were included. Among them, incident frailty occurred in 20.2%, 11.1%, and 10.0% of participants in the no-source, single-source, and multiple-source groups, respectively. The variety of enjoyment sources was associated with lower odds of incident frailty in both crude and basic adjusted models. The odds ratios for the single-source and multiple-source groups were similar. Exploratory analysis of the 10 most frequently reported enjoyment sources showed that books, sports, friends, foods, and singing/playing musical instruments showed inverse trends with frailty, whereas media consumption showed a positive trend with frailty in unadjusted cross-sectional trend tests. Discussion Having one or more enjoyment sources was associated with lower odds of frailty among community-dwelling older adults in both cross-sectional and 3-year longitudinal analyses. The exploratory analysis also suggested that the associations between specific types of enjoyment sources and frailty may differ. Clinical trial number Not applicable.