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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Public Health
Sec. Aging and Public Health
Volume 12 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2024.1431048

Frailty in Middle-aged and Elderly Postoperative Patients with Gynecological Malignancies Structural Equation Modeling

Provisionally accepted
Shuo Man Shuo Man 1*Xiaofang Wu Xiaofang Wu 1*Haowen Huang Haowen Huang 1*Jinjin Yu Jinjin Yu 2*Ling Xia Ling Xia 2*
  • 1 Wuxi Medical College, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, Jiangsu Province, China
  • 2 Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Affiliated Hospital of Jiangnan University, Wuxi, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Background: Frailty and self-management are important determinants of quality of life in cancer patients. However, their synergistic effects and potential mechanisms on quality of life in middle-aged and elderly postoperative gynecologic malignancy patients have not been adequately studied. Objective: This cross-sectional study aimed to explore the relationship between frailty, self-management, and quality of life in middle-aged and elderly postoperative gynecologic malignancy patients. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted from January 2024 to April 2024 in three gynecological wards of a tertiary hospital in Wuxi. The study recruited 177 patients aged 45 years or older who underwent surgery for gynecologic malignancies (cervical, ovarian, and endometrial cancer). Data were collected using demographic and clinical characteristics, the Edmonton Frailty Scale, the Self-Management Competence Scale, and the EORTC Core Quality of Life Questionnaire. Structural equation modeling was used to explore the interactions between frailty, self-management, and quality of life. Results: The prevalence of frailty in middle-aged and elderly postoperative gynecologic malignancy patients was 39.5%, with a mean total self-management score of 125.81 ± 13.21 and a mean total quality of life score of 69.26 ± 10.88. The fit indices of the model indicated a good fit, and that frailty had multiple effects on quality of life; specifically, frailty could affect the quality of life directly or through self-management, i.e., self-management partially mediated frailty and quality of life. Conclusion: Self-management is a mediating variable between frailty and quality of life, suggesting that clinical workers can intervene in self-management skills to improve patient's quality of life and physical and mental health.

    Keywords: Frailty, Gynecological malignancy, self-management, Quality of Life, Structural Equation Modeling

    Received: 08 Jun 2024; Accepted: 13 Sep 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Man, Wu, Huang, Yu and Xia. 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:
    Shuo Man, Wuxi Medical College, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, 214122, Jiangsu Province, China
    Xiaofang Wu, Wuxi Medical College, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, 214122, Jiangsu Province, China
    Haowen Huang, Wuxi Medical College, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, 214122, Jiangsu Province, China
    Jinjin Yu, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Affiliated Hospital of Jiangnan University, Wuxi, China
    Ling Xia, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Affiliated Hospital of Jiangnan University, Wuxi, China

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