LAUSR

Objective: To examine associations between energy/nutrient intakes and frailty in older migrant women, and to explore perceptions of body weight, dietary intake, and physical function. Design: Cross‐sectional, mixed‐methods study. Setting: Birmingham, United Kingdom. Participants: Seventy‐six first‐generation migrant women ≥ 60 years of age. Main Outcome Measures: Energy/nutrient intakes (assessed by 24‐hour dietary recall), frailty (using the frailty phenotype), and links between perceptions of body weight, dietary intake, and physical function (via semi‐structured interviews). Analysis: Bivariate and logistic regression analyses examined associations between frailty and low energy/nutrient intakes. Interviews were analyzed using inductive thematic analysis. Results: Seventy‐six women completed a 24‐hour dietary recall; 46 participated in a semi‐structured interview. Low energy intake was associated with frailty (odds ratio [OR], 11.71; 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.36–57.97). After adjusting for energy and other confounders, a low intake of > 3 nutrients was associated with frailty (OR, 6.58; 95% CI, 1.01–43.08). Qualitative data suggest that dietary intake was influenced by concerns about body weight and perceptions that unhealthy foods reduce mobility. Conclusions and Implications: Among older migrant women with high prevalence of overweight/obesity, an inadequate dietary intake may be a stronger predictor of frailty than weight loss. Dietary interventions should focus on healthy weight maintenance and optimization of nutritional adequacy and physical function.