Meta-analysis links intrinsic-capacity decline to age, sex and education

A systematic review and meta-analysis estimated that 70% of community-dwelling older adults in China experienced declining intrinsic capacity, although the estimate had substantial uncertainty. The 95% confidence interval ranged from 54% to 82%, indicating that the pooled prevalence could be materially lower or higher than the central estimate. The analysis included 17 studies with 27,221 older adults and found declines across all functional domains assessed.

The study, reported as an accepted early-access article in BMC Geriatrics , aimed to estimate the prevalence of intrinsic-capacity decline and identify factors influencing it among older adults living in Chinese communities. The researchers searched CNKI, Wanfang, VIP, CBM, PubMed, Embase, the Cochrane Library and Web of Science. Study selection followed Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines, and systematic reviews and meta-analyses were performed using Stata 14.0.

Three characteristics were associated with declining intrinsic capacity in the pooled analysis: increasing age, female gender and low educational attainment. The reported odds ratio was 1.078 for age, 1.454 for gender and 2.409 for education level. The source does not specify the reference categories or the scales used for age and education, so these values cannot be converted into equivalent changes in risk from the information provided.

They describe the statistical associations reported by the meta-analysis rather than proving that the factors alone caused the decline. The confidence interval around the pooled prevalence shows that the overall magnitude remains uncertain. The review combined evidence from 17 studies and reported varying degrees of decline across the functional domains, but the supplied material does not provide study-specific prevalence estimates or detailed results for each domain.

The findings summarize the evidence base for community-dwelling older adults in China rather than providing a direct measurement of every individual in that population. The reported prevalence of 70% is a pooled estimate from 27,221 participants, and its 95% confidence interval of 54% to 82% should accompany the central figure. Overall, the analysis identifies declining intrinsic capacity as common in the studied population and reports associations with older age, female gender and lower educational attainment, without establishing causation or showing the effectiveness of any particular response.

Subject of Research: Systematic review of intrinsic-capacity decline among community-dwelling older adults in China

Article Title: Factors affecting the decline of intrinsic capacity of older adults in Chinese communities: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Article References: Zhao, Y., Zhao, S., Guo, L., Li, G., Tan, Y., Yang, J., Lan, B., & Su, Y. (2026). Factors affecting the decline of intrinsic capacity of older adults in Chinese communities: a systematic review and meta-analysis. BMC Geriatrics. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12877-026-08374-x

Image Credits: AI Generated

DOI: 10.1186/s12877-026-08374-x

Keywords: intrinsic capacity, older adults, China, systematic review, meta-analysis, functional decline, ageing, education, health disparities, Factors, affecting, decline