Method: We analyzed data in a group of high-functioning older adults over 65 years old who participated in the Health Examination for the Elderly Program (HEEP) in the National Taiwan University Hospital (NTUH), a tertiary medical center in Taipei, Taiwan. Participants were excluded from the study if they were demented or dependent in daily living. Sleep duration, sociodemographic data and medical history were assessed through questionnaire; anthropometric data, physical measures, and laboratory examination were collected. Frail or pre-frail status was determined according to Fried’s criteria. Subjects were defined as frail if they meet 3 items from the criteria, and as pre-frail if they meet 1 or 2 items. Result: There were 260 subjects included in our study, the mean age was 72.2 (65~88) years, and 135 female participants represented 51.9% of the study population. The mean sleep duration was 6.56 (±1.48) hours per day, and 6 (±1.26) hours per night. Among the study population, only 2 subjects were frail, and 54 persons (20.8%) were pre-frail. After multiple logistic regression, we found that frailty or pre-frailty were independently associated with longer sleep duration (over 8.5 hours/day). The odds ratio (OR) is 2.78 (95%CI: 1.10~7.01). We also found a liner association between frailty or pre-frailty and daily sleep duration (hours) among male subjects, the OR is 1.66 (95%CI: 1.096~2.505) after adjusting with confounders. This association was not significant among female subjects. Conclusion: We found an independent association between longer self-report sleep duration and frail status among high-functioning older adults in Taiwan. Physicians may take sleep duration into consideration when evaluating frail older patient, especially when they are male.
