Thesis
title: Alcohol Consumption, Frailty, and the Mediating Role of C-Reactive
Protein (CRP) in Older Adults. Explanation: Frailty
is a well-established indicator of late-life decline and is accompanied by
higher rates of comorbidity and disability. Meanwhile, an estimated 41%
of adults over the age of 65 report consuming alcohol – an identified health
risk and protective factor depending on dosage. Given that the
demographic group of older Americans is projected to double by the year 2050,
identification of frailty risk and protective factors is imperative. The
goals of this thesis are to (1) identify how varying levels of alcohol
consumption relate to frailty, and (2) elucidate a possible mechanism that
accounts for the relationship between alcohol consumption and frailty. A
sample of stroke-free participants over the age of 65 was identified from the
Health and Retirement Study. Study 1 utilized stepwise logistic
regression models to identify predictors of prevalent frailty at baseline
(2000), and of incident frailty 4, 8, and 12 years later. For both males
and females, significant predictors of frailty at all years included age, CES-D
score, and medical burden score. In addition, BMI was a significant
predictor of frailty for females at all years. With respect to alcohol
use, results revealed that drinking 1-7 drinks per week had a protective effect
for females at baseline (OR=0.50) and 12 years later (OR=0.75); however, no
such protective effects were found for males. Given that extant research
has identified CRP to mediate the relationship between moderate alcohol use and
cardiovascular health benefits, Study 2 used a cross-sectional sample from the
2008 wave and employed structural equation modeling to examine the relationship
between moderate alcohol use, frailty, and CRP. Results from Study 2
support the hypothesized model that moderate alcohol is associated with less
frailty, and that this relationship is partially mediated by CRP levels. Overall findings suggest that moderate alcohol use confers health benefits for
females by reducing frailty risk and that CRP is one mechanism by which alcohol
use may confer protective effects for frailty. Future research should
further examine the relationship between alcohol use and frailty and determine
if CRP mediates the relationship between moderate alcohol use and other
beneficial health outcomes.
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