Depression and Plasma pTau Levels Are Associated with Frailty Status in Hispanic Community-Dwelling Older Women

The population of Hispanic older adults is growing along with the burden of chronic diseases. This cross-sectional study aims to assess the factors associated with frailty among community-dwelling Hispanic women aged ≥60 years ( n = 357) enrolled in the Panama Aging Research Initiative—Health Disparities study of cognitive-functional health of older persons in Panama. Cognitive function was assessed with a neuropsychological test battery. Depression was measured with the Geriatric Depression Scale. Frailty was defined using the Fried criteria and participants were classified as non-frail, pre-frail or frail. A subsample ( n = 281) provided fasting blood samples for quantification of protein biomarkers. Associations were examined using hierarchical multiple linear regressions. 59.4% and 9.0% of participants ( M = 69.2 years, SD = 6.3) were pre-frail and frail, respectively. Having more depression (β = .28, p