Similar to the introduction of frailty as a preventative marker to disability in healthcare for older persons, the concept of cognitive frailty (CF) has emerged as a marker to prevent irreversible neurodegenerative diseases and disabilities.1,2 CF is characterized by the coexisted state of physical frailty (PF) and mild cognitive impairment (MCI), excluding degenerative brain diseases such as dementia.1 This operational definition proposed by the International Academy of Nutrition and Aging (IANA) and the International Association of Gerontology and Geriatrics (IAGG) consensus group is the most widely applied in the field.2,3 A meta-analysis of 24 studies across 11 countries has found that the combined prevalence of CF was 9 %,4 and the prevalence rate in Korea ranged from 3.2 % to 11.2 %.5,6

A notable characteristic of CF is its potential reversibility following appropriate early screening and intervention.3,7 However, without timely screening and interventions, older persons with CF can have more severe negative health outcomes, such as falls, hospitalization, functional disability, and mortality, than those with only PF or MCI.5,8 Consequently, it is crucial to study the factors that influence CF to develop targeted interventions to prevent or delay its onset.3 In recent reviews, factors related to CF have included old age, female sex, depression, malnutrition, low social support and participation, anxiety, lack of exercise, poor ability to perform daily activities, and chronic diseases such as diabetes.2,9 Additionally, one of the associated factors contributing to CF may be sensory decline.10,11

Sensory decline, including poor hearing and vision, is a common problem among older persons. According to previous reviews, approximately 10.0∼50.4 % of older persons have poor hearing, and approximately 14.1∼21.9 % have poor vision worldwide.12,13 These sensory deficits often occur simultaneously. The self-reporting of sensory decline is as important as objective measures because it allows for early detection when an individuals’ vision or hearing begins to decline.14 With the gradual increase in the prevalence of sensory decline due to rapid population aging, addressing the health challenges faced by older persons with sensory decline has become an important focus of geriatric healthcare.15

Older persons with poor hearing or vision are associated with PF, MCI, and dementia than those without sensory decline; moreover, older adults with combined poor hearing and vision are even more association with these negative health outcomes.10,11,16 In addition, older persons with combined poor hearing and vision are more associated with low quality of life than those with only sensory decline or no decline.17 A previous study has examined the relationship between poor hearing and CF18; however, few studies have examined the association between sensory decline, including poor hearing and vision, and CF in older persons. This study aims to identify the prevalence of and association between perceived sensory decline and CF among older persons after adjusting for the associated factors of CF using a nationally representative sample of older persons in South Korea.