Author(s)

Xiang Yayan ¹, Qiu Xiaoran ¹, Ding Wenyu ¹, Ding Yuchen ¹, Li Yaoxin ¹, Zou Huiying ¹

Affiliation(s)

¹ Xiangnan University, Chenzhou, Hunan, China

Corresponding Author

ABSTRACT

This study selected older adults aged 60 years and above from the 2018 CLHLS survey as research subjects. It aimed to analyze the prevalence and correlation of frailty and sleep disorders among older adults, so as to provide evidence-based references for developing targeted health intervention strategies for this population.The mean frailty index of the 5,522 older adults was (0.141 ± 0.094), and 760 participants were frail, accounting for 13.77%. Sleep duration and sleep quality were influencing factors for frailty in older adults. Older adults with long sleep duration and poor sleep quality had a higher prevalence of frailty, and the difference was statistically significant (P<0.05). Spearman correlation analysis showed that frailty was positively correlated with sleep duration (r=0.125, P<0.01) and negatively correlated with sleep quality (r=-0.152, P<0.01).The study found that the prevalence of frailty is relatively high among Chinese older adults aged 60 years and above. Sleep duration and sleep quality are factors affecting frailty. It is recommended to pay attention to the sleep health of older adults, ensure adequate sleep while avoiding excessive sleep duration, and attach importance to improving sleep quality to prevent the onset of frailty.

KEYWORDS

CITE THIS PAPER

Xiang Yayan, Qiu Xiaoran, Ding Wenyu, Ding Yuchen, Li Yaoxin, Zou Huiying. A Study on the Current Status of Frailty and Sleep Disorders Among Chinese Older Adults and Their Relationship—Based on the CLHLS Database. Social Medicine and Health Management (2026). Vol. 7, No. 2, 73-79. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.23977/socmhm.2026.070209.

REFERENCES

[1] Liu N, Zhang H, Zhao X, et al. Association of Leisure Activities with Sleep Duration and Quality in Chinese Older Adults[J]. SAGE Open,2024,14(3).
[2] Zhong W F, Liang F, Wang X M, et al. Prospective cohort study on sleep duration and risk of frailty among Chinese adults aged ≥80 years[J]. Chinese Journal of Preventive Medicine,2023,57(5):607-613.
[3] Wang Y, Zheng F, Zhang X. The impact of social participation on frailty among older adults: the mediating role of loneliness and sleep quality[J]. Healthcare,2024,12(20):2085.
[4] Billings M E, Cohen R T, Baldwin C M, et al. Disparities in sleep health and potential intervention models:a focused review[J]. Chest,2021,159(3):1232-1240.
[5] Gellman M D, Turner J R. Encyclopedia of behavioral medicine[M]. New York:Springer, 2013.
[6] Wang Z J, Zhao M, Chen T W, et al. Meta-analysis of the prevalence of sleep disorders among older adults in China[J]. Chinese General Practice,2022,25(16):2036-2043.
[7] Pan X,Wang H,Cao Y,et al. Secular trends in sleep conditions in Chinese elderly individuals:a national population-based study[J]. Nature and Science of Sleep,2023,15(1):555-566.
[8] Zheng Z. Twenty years' follow-uP on elder PeoPle's health and quality of life[J]. China PoPulation and DeveloPment Studies,2020,3(2):297-309.
[9] Ruan Q,Yu Z,Chen M,et al. Cognitive frailty,a novel target for the prevention of elderly dependence[J]. Ageing Res Rev,2015,20:1-10.
[10] Searle S D,Mitnitski A,Gahbauer E A,et al. A standard procedure for creating a frailty index[J]. BMC Geriatrics,2008,8:24.
[11] Zhang J J. Impact of dietary diversity and dietary patterns on frailty and gender differences—based on CLHLS data[D]. Jinan:Shandong University,2023.
[12] Ge L,Yap C W,heng B H. Frailty among elderly in a tertiary hospital in Singapore[J]. Singapore Med J, 2017, 58(6):326-332.
[13] Melo F C,Araujo L B,de Oliveira M A,et al. Prevalence of frailty in Brazilian older adults[J]. J Nutr Health Aging,2019,23(10):1003-1008.
[14] Kojima G,Iliffe S,Jivraj S,et al. Prevalence of frailty in Japan:a systematic review and meta-analysis[J]. J Epidemiol,2017,27(8):347-353.
[15] Hirshkowitz M,Whiton K,Albert S M,et al. National Sleep Foundation's sleep time duration recommendations: methodology and results summary[J]. Sleep Health,2015,1(1):40-43.
[16] Li Y,Gong W,Sahakian B J,et al. Divergent biological pathways linking short and long sleep durations to mental and physical health[J]. Nature Mental Health,2025,3(4):429-443.
[17] Liu H,Shi Y,Yu M,et al. Individual and joint associations between sleep duration and physical activity with cognitive function:a longitudinal analysis among middle-aged and older adults in China[J]. Alzheimer's & Dementia, 2025,21(1):e14212.
[18] Shui Y H,Abdusalam Ablhiti,Gao J L. Trajectories and influencing factors of sleep duration and sleep quality among older adults in China[J]. Medicine and Society,2026,39(5):46-54. 
[19] Li Q M,Wang Y H,Yu L,et al. Impact of sleep duration and sleep quality on the risk of low back pain among middle-aged and older adults in China[J]. Chinese General Practice,2022,25(11):1327-1333.
[20] Shi Y,Wu D,Yilipa Yilihamu,et al. The role of pain and sleep quality in the relationship between chronic disease and grip strength—based on CHARLS data analysis[J]. Modern Preventive Medicine,2024,51(8):1524-1529.
[21] Bai Y,Wang Q,Yang L Q Z,et al. Correlation between sleep quality and frailty among the oldest-old in integrated medical and nursing care institutions[J]. Practical Geriatrics,2026,40(1):83-85.
[22] Balomenos V, Ntanasi E, Anastasiou CA, et al. Association between sleep disturbances and frailty: evidence from a population-based study[J]. J Am Med Dir Assoc, 2021, 22(3):551-558. 
[23] van den Ende ES, van Veldhuizen KDI, Toussaint B, et al.Hospitalized COVID-19 patients were five times more likely to suffer from total sleep deprivation compared to non-COVID-19 patients; an observational comparative study[J]. Front Neurosci, 2021, 15: 680932. 

Sponsors, Associates, and Links

• Information Systems and Economics
  
  
• Accounting, Auditing and Finance
  
  
• Industrial Engineering and Innovation Management
  
  
• Tourism Management and Technology Economy
  
  
• Journal of Computational and Financial Econometrics
  
  
• Financial Engineering and Risk Management
  
  
• Accounting and Corporate Management
  
  
• Social Security and Administration Management
  
  
• Population, Resources & Environmental Economics
  
  
• Statistics & Quantitative Economics
  
  
• Agricultural & Forestry Economics and Management
  
  
• Land Resource Management
  
  
• Information, Library and Archival Science
  
  
• Journal of Human Resource Development
  
  
• Manufacturing and Service Operations Management
  
  
• Operational Research and Cybernetics