What Role Does Activity Engagement Play in the Association between Cognitive Frailty and Falls among Older Adults? Evidence from Rural Shandong, China

Introduction: Previous studies have demonstrated the relationship between cognitive frailty and falls among older adults. Activity engagement (AE) is known to be related to falls in older adults but the subject has been limited to empirical study. This study aimed to explore the mediating role of AE between cognitive frailty and falls among older adults in rural Shandong, China. Methods: A total of 3,242 rural seniors (age ≥60 years; 63.6% women) were included in this cross-sectional study. Regression and bootstrap analyses were performed to explore the mediating role of AE between cognitive frailty and falls. Results: The prevalence of falls was 13.1% and the prevalence of cognitive frailty was 6.6% among the participants. AE mediated the association between cognitive frailty and falls (95% CI 0.077–0.223). However, the direct effect was no longer significant after being adjusted for AE (95% CI –0.037 to 0.684; p = 0.078). Conclusion: Cognitive frailty was found to be associated with falls among rural older adults, and AE mediated this association. More attention should be paid to promote AE among Chinese rural older adults with cognitive frailty.