Search

Objectives Evidence suggests vitamin D deficiency is associated with developing frailty. However, cardiometabolic factors are related to both conditions and may confound and/or mediate the vitamin D–frailty association. We aimed to determine the association of vitamin D concentration with incidence of frailty, and the role of cardiometabolic diseases (cardiovascular disease, diabetes, hyperlipidemia, hypertension) in this relationship. Design Prospective longitudinal cohort study (7 visits from 1994–2008). Setting Baltimore, Maryland. Participants Three hundred sixty-nine women from the Women's Health and Aging Study II aged 70–79 years, free of frailty at baseline. Measurements Serum circulating 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25[OH]D) concentration was assessed at baseline and categorized as

mately three-times greater risk of incident frailty and three to five times greater risk of lower extremity mobility limitations (all P < .05). In fully adjusted models, HbA1c of 8.0% or greater (vs < 5.5%) was associated with incident frailty (hazard ratio (HR) = 3.33, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.24–8.93), walking difficulty (HR = 3.47, 95% CI = 1.26–9.55), low walking speed (HR = 2.82, 95% CI = 1.19–6.71), and low physical performance (HR = 3.60, 95% CI = 1.52–8.53). CONCLUSION: Hyperglycemia is associated with the development of frailty and lower extremity mobility limitations in older women. Future studies should identify mediators of these relationships. J Am Geriatr Soc 60:1701– 1707, 2012.

Previous studies exploring the relationship of neighborhood characteristics with metabolic conditions have focused on middle aged adults but none have investigated associations in older adults. We explored the relationship of neighborhood characteristics with diabetes, obesity, and other metabolic conditions in 384 community dwelling women aged 70-79 years enrolled at baseline in the Women’s Health and Aging Study II.