ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Public Health
Sec. Aging and Public Health
Associations of Indoor Ventilation Frequency with Frailty among Chinese Older Adults
Provisionally accepted
- 1The Thirteenth People’s Hospital of Chongqing, Chongqing, China
- 2Chongqing Geriatrics Hospital, Chongqing, China
- 3The First Clinical College, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, China
- 4The Second Clinical College, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, China
- 5Department of Pediatrics, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, China
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Background: Frailty is a common geriatric syndrome that imposes a heavy disease burden globally. Indoor ventilation is a crucial measure for improving air quality. However, the association between indoor ventilation frequency (IVF) and frailty remains unclear. This study aimed to explore this association among Chinese older adults. Methods: We used data from 5,511 older adults in the Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey (CLHLS) 2018 and an external validation sample of 718 older adults from Chongqing. Logistic regression models and linear regression models were employed to assess the association between IVF and frailty and its seasonal variations. We further conducted subgroup analysis to examine differences across various populations. All statistical analyses were performed using SPSS 25.0 and R 4.3.0. Results: Compared with low ventilation frequency, intermediate (OR = 0.722, 95% CI: 0.559~0.933) and high (OR = 0.824, 95% CI: 0.643~0.995) frequencies were significantly associated with a lower risk of frailty. Seasonal analysis revealed that this inverse association was particularly significant in autumn and winter. Subgroup analysis suggested that this association was more pronounced in subgroups such as females, older adults over 80 years old, and those who use non-clear energy for cooking. External validation data from Chongqing supported these findings. Conclusion: This research demonstrated a significant association between IVF and frailty among Chinese older adults. These findings provide supportive evidence for considering ventilation behavior in public health strategies aimed at promoting healthy aging.
Keywords: Frailty, Indoor ventilation frequency, older adults, CLHLS, External validation
Received: 21 Jul 2025; Accepted: 30 Oct 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Xian, Chen, Cao, Fan, Tang, Chen, Wang and Shen. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Kun Shen, ckoon1022@163.com
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