Dynamically Changing Trajectories and Influencing Factors of the Intrinsic Capacity of Community-Dwelling Older Adults: A Longitudinal Study
#Xuan Ma and Xin Jiang contributed equally to this article.
Intrinsic capacity (IC) plays a key role in predicting health outcomes in older adults, given the dynamic heterogeneity of IC, identifying its trajectories is vital for precision-targeted interventions; however, empirical evidence is scarce for economically underdeveloped regions. We aimed to elucidate one-year changes in IC among community-dwelling older adults and to examine its trajectories and influencing factors. At baseline (T0), 6 months (T1), and 12 months (T2), we conducted the general information survey, the IC survey, and physical measurements among older adults. Mplus 7.4 software was used to construct latent class growth modeling (LCGM), binary logistic regression was performed to identify factors associated with different trajectories. Across T0 – T2, the rate of decline in IC ranged from 63.50% to 95.00% in 200 older adults. Two trajectories of IC change were identified: the Moderate impairment with slow progression group (8.0%) and the Mild impairment with rapid progression group (92.0%). Older adults aged ≥80 years most likely belonged to the first group (OR = 0.082, 95%CI: 0.013~0.533), those whose nighttime sleep was 6-8 h/d (OR = 7.043, 95%CI: 1.793~27.660), ≥8 h/d (OR = 11.938, 95%CI: 2.505~56.885) tended to belong to the second group. The level of IC in older adults exhibited a dynamic declining trend and heterogeneous trajectories. Targeted interventions can be recommended to enhance IC according to the trajectory category.
[1] Angelsen, A., Nakrem, S., Zotcheva, E., Strand, B. H., & Strand, L. B. (2024). Health-promoting behaviors in older adulthood and intrinsic capacity 10 years later: The HUNT study. BMC Public Health, 24(1), 284. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-024-17840-3
[2] Baumgart, M., Snyder, H. M., Carrillo, M. C., Fazio, S., Kim, H., & Johns, H. (2015). Summary of the evidence on modifiable risk factors for cognitive decline and dementia: A population-based perspective. Alzheimer's & Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer's Association, 11(6), 718-726. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jalz.2015.05.016
[3] Beard, J. R., Jotheeswaran, A. T., Cesari, M., & Araujo de Carvalho, I. (2019). The structure and predictive value of intrinsic capacity in a longitudinal study of ageing. BMJ Open, 9(11), e026119. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2018-026119
[4] Chen, L. K., Woo, J., Assantachai, P., Auyeung, T. W., Chou, M. Y., Iijima, K., Jang, H. C., Kang, L., Kim, M., Kim, S., Kojima, T., Kuzuya, M., Lee, J. S. W., Lee, S. Y., Lee, W. J., Lee, Y., Liang, C. K., Lim, J. Y., Lim, W. S., Peng, L. N., … Arai, H. (2020). Asian Working Group for Sarcopenia: 2019 Consensus Update on Sarcopenia Diagnosis and Treatment. Journal of the American Medical Directors Association, 21(3), 300-307.e2. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jamda.2019.12.012
[5] Chinese Geriatrics Society, & National Clinical Research Center for Geriatric Diseases (Xuanwu Hospital). (2026). Chinese expert consensus on screening and comprehensive assessment of intrinsic capacity in older adults. Chinese General Practice, 29(10), 1225-1238. https://doi.org/10.12114/j.issn.1007-9572.2025.0401
[6] Folstein, M. F., Folstein, S. E., & McHugh, P. R. (1975). "Mini-mental state". A practical method for grading the cognitive state of patients for the clinician. Journal of Psychiatric Research, 12(3), 189-198. https://doi.org/10.1016/0022-3956(75)90026-6
[7] González-Bautista, E., de Souto Barreto, P., Virecoulon Giudici, K., Andrieu, S., Rolland, Y., & Vellas, B. (2021). Frequency of Conditions Associated with Declines in Intrinsic Capacity According to a Screening Tool in the Context of Integrated Care for Older People. The Journal of Frailty & Aging, 10(2), 94-102. https://doi.org/10.14283/jfa.2020.42
[8] Jiang, X., Chen, F., Yang, X., Yang, M., Zhang, X., Ma, X., & Yan, P. (2023). Effects of personal and health characteristics on the intrinsic capacity of older adults in the community: A cross-sectional study using the healthy aging framework. BMC Geriatrics, 23(1), 643. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12877-023-04362-7
[9] Li, Y., Zhang, T., Li, M., Shen, R., Wang, X., Zhuo, C., Wang, Y., Yan, F., Liu, Z., & Huang, Y. (2025). Trajectories of intrinsic capacity decline and related factors in old persons: A 15-year community-based cohort study in Beijing. The Journal of Nutrition, Health & Aging, 29(5), 100526. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jnha.2025.100526
[10] Liu, M. Y., Zhang, L., Zhang, M., Song, N. N., & Zhou, J. L. (2023). Correlation between intrinsic capacity and activities of daily living for old adults in China: Based on China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study. Chinese Journal of Rehabilitation Theory and Practice, 29(10), 1140-1146. https://doi.org/10.3969/j.issn.1006-9771.2023.10.004
[11] Liu, S. (2022). Research on the predictive value and trajectory of intrinsic capacity in community-dwelling older adults [Doctoral dissertation]. Peking Union Medical College.
[12] Liu, W., Li, H., Wen, S., Tian, X., & Lei, Y. (2021). Current status and impact of intrinsic competence in elderly neurological inpatients. Chinese Journal of Practical Internal Medicine, 41(10), 899-902. https://doi.org/10.19538/j.nk2021100117
[13] Ma, L., Chhetri, J. K., Zhang, L., Sun, F., Li, Y., & Tang, Z. (2021). Cross-sectional study examining the status of intrinsic capacity decline in community-dwelling older adults in China: Prevalence, associated factors and implications for clinical care. BMJ Open, 11(1), e043062. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2020-043062
[14] Ma, L., Zhang, Y., Liu, P., Li, S., Li, Y., Ji, T., Zhang, L., Chhetri, J. K., & Li, Y. (2021). Plasma N-Terminal Pro-B-Type Natriuretic Peptide Is Associated with Intrinsic Capacity Decline in an Older Population. The Journal of Nutrition, Health & Aging, 25(2), 271-277. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12603-020-1468-3
[15] National Committee for the Prevention of Hearing Loss, National Health Commission of the People’s Republic of China, Society of Otorhinolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, Chinese Medical Association, Editorial Board of Chinese Journal of Otorhinolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, & Chinese Society of Geriatrics. (2019). Expert consensus on diagnosis and intervention of hearing loss in the elderly (2019). Chinese Journal of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, 54(3), 166-173. https://doi.org/10.3760/cma.j.issn.1673-0860.2019.03.002
[16] National Health and Family Planning Commission of the People’s Republic of China. (2013). Criteria of weight for adults (WS/T 428-2013) [Health industry standard]. Standards Press of China. https://wsbz.nhc.gov.cn/wsbzw/upload/StandardLibrary/76cfe3ee55e14889b3b342dd51192b81.pdf
[17] Ni, X., Wu, F., Song, J., An, L., Jiang, Q., Bai, T., Wang, J., Yu, P., Zhang, C., Wu, J., Geriatrics Branch of the Chinese Medical Association, & Expert Group of the Chinese Expert Consensus on Assessment of Cognitive Impairment in the Elderly (2022). Chinese expert consensus on assessment of cognitive impairment in the elderly. Aging Medicine, 5(3), 154-166. https://doi.org/10.1002/agm2.12222
[18] Prince, M. J., Wu, F., Guo, Y., Gutierrez Robledo, L. M., O'Donnell, M., Sullivan, R., & Yusuf, S. (2015). The burden of disease in older people and implications for health policy and practice. The Lancet, 385(9967), 549-562. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(14)61347-7
[19] Ramírez-Vélez, R., Correa-Bautista, J. E., García-Hermoso, A., Cano, C. A., & Izquierdo, M. (2019). Reference values for handgrip strength and their association with intrinsic capacity domains among older adults. Journal of Cachexia, Sarcopenia and Muscle, 10(2), 278-286. https://doi.org/10.1002/jcsm.12373
[20] Rubenstein, L. Z., Harker, J. O., Salvà, A., Guigoz, Y., & Vellas, B. (2001). Screening for undernutrition in geriatric practice: developing the short-form mini-nutritional assessment (MNA-SF). The Journals of Gerontology: Series A, Biological Sciences and Medical Sciences, 56(6), M366-M372. https://doi.org/10.1093/gerona/56.6.m366
[21] Salinas-Rodríguez, A., González-Bautista, E., Rivera-Almaraz, A., & Manrique-Espinoza, B. (2022). Longitudinal trajectories of intrinsic capacity and their association with quality of life and disability. Maturitas, 161, 49-54. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.maturitas.2022.02.005
[22] United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs. (2023). World social report 2023: Leaving no one behind in an ageing world. https://doi.org/10.18356/9789210019682
[23] Wang, M. (2014). Latent variable modeling with Mplus applications: Advanced volume. Chongqing University Press.
[24] Welch, S. A., Ward, R. E., Beauchamp, M. K., Leveille, S. G., Travison, T., & Bean, J. F. (2021). The Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB): A Quick and Useful Tool for Fall Risk Stratification Among Older Primary Care Patients. Journal of the American Medical Directors Association, 22(8), 1646-1651. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jamda.2020.09.038
[25] World Health Organization. (2017). Integrated care for older people: Guidelines on community-level interventions to manage declines in intrinsic capacity. https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789241550109
[26] World Health Organization. (2017). WHO clinical consortium on healthy ageing: Topic focus-frailty and intrinsic capacity (Report of consortium meeting). https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/WHO-FWC-ALC-17.2
[27] World Health Organization. (2019). Integrated care for older people (ICOPE): Guidance for person-centred assessment and pathways in primary care. https://iris.who.int/handle/10665/326843
[28] World Health Organization. (2025). Ageing and health. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/ageing-and-health
[29] Yang, C., Chen, X., Wan, X., & Cai, Y. (2025). The association between sleep duration trajectories and intrinsic capacity in middle-aged and older adults in China: A longitudinal Chinese study assessing healthy aging. Frontiers in Medicine, 12, 1595241. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmed.2025.1595241
[30] Yesavage, J. A., Brink, T. L., Rose, T. L., Lum, O., Huang, V., Adey, M., & Leirer, V. O. (1982). Development and validation of a geriatric depression screening scale: a preliminary report. Journal of Psychiatric Research, 17(1), 37-49. https://doi.org/10.1016/0022-3956(82)90033-4
[31] Yu, R., Lai, D., Leung, G., & Woo, J. (2023). Trajectories of Intrinsic Capacity: Determinants and Associations with Disability. The Journal of Nutrition, Health & Aging, 27(3), 174-181. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12603-023-1881-5
[32] Zhang, J., Zhang, D., Wu, J., Zhang, J., Zhou, J., Li, H., & Sun, C. (2020). Relationship between decline of intrinsic capacity and activity of daily living of elderly patients. Chinese Journal of Modern Nursing, 26(32), 4466-4469. https://doi.org/10.3760/cma.j.cn115682-20200612-03873
[33] Zhou, L., Guo, L., Wang, W., Chen, C., Chen, Y., & Ma, X. (2021). Correlation between hearing and visual impairment and depressive symptoms in the elderly. Journal of Shanxi Medical University, 52(7), 915-918. https://doi.org/10.13753/j.issn.1007-6611.2021.07.019
[34] Zhu, Y., Zhu, Y., Li, J., Shi, N., Li, W., Tang, Y., Hua, L., Zhang, H., Yan, F., & Ma, Y. (2025). Research progress on intrinsic capacity in older adults: Concepts, epidemiology, assessments, influencing factors, adverse outcomes, and interventions. Global Health & Medicine, 7(5), 358-369. https://doi.org/10.35772/ghm.2025.01026
