독거노인의 노쇠 영향요인: 2023년 노인실태조사 결과 활용

Abstract

Purpose: Our study is a descriptive research study that explores factors affecting frailty in older adults living alone. We conducted a secondary analysis of data from the 2023 National Survey of Older Adults. Methods: The study subjects included 3,423 older adults who responded to the criterion of living alone in the 2023 Survey. The K-FRAIL questionnaire was used to measure frailty, the DITERMINE screening tool measured nutrition, and the K-MMSE~2 questionnaire measured cognitive function. We measured digital literacy using a 12-item questionnaire. We used SPSS 26.0 softwareto conduct descriptive statistics, independent t-tests, one-way ANOVA, and Pearson correlation coefficients and analyzed the research data. Using hierarchical regression analysis, we analyzed the impact of nutritional management, cognitive function, and the ability to use digital media on frailty in older adults living alone. Results: Our study revealed that poor nutritional management, low cognitive function, and low digital literacy are associated with high frailty scores. Nutrition management, cognitive function, and proficiency with digital media accounted for 31.9% of the total factors that influenced frailty in older adults living alone. Conclusion: It is important to comprehensively assess cognitive function and nutritional management to prevent frailty in older adults living alone. When developing a frailty prevention program, it is imperative to design a strategy that incorporates digital literacy to improve cognitive function and nutritional management.