Abstract
Introduction Frailty is a condition in older adults with decreased physical and cognitive performance that can affect health outcomes associated with fracture, disability, and falls. The aim of this study was to compare fall risk with different physical frailty statuses and investigate factors associated with fall risk in community-dwelling older adults. Methods The population studied included 367 older adults (mean age = 73.2 years ± 7.0; 237 females (64.6%) and 130 males (35.4%)) who live in Chiang Mai, Thailand. This study was of cross-sectional design. Fried's phenotype was used to screen the physical frailty status. The physiological profile assessment (PPA) was used to screen for fall risk. One-way ANOVA analysis was used to compare the fall risk between the different levels of frailty status. Linear regression analysis was used to assess the association between frailty status and fall risk. Results The prevalence of the frailty group was 8.7% and that of the prefrailty group was 76.8%. The three statuses of frailty identified were found to have different levels of risk of falling. The frailty group had a higher fall risk than the nonfrailty group and the prefrailty group. In addition, the nonfrailty group had a lower fall risk than the prefrailty group. Conclusion The frailty group had the highest fall risk in this cohort of older adults living in a community-dwelling facility. Therefore, it is important to assess the frailty status among older adults as it can be a predictor for fall risk. This assessment will therefore lead to a reduction in the rate of disability and death in the community.
Highlights
Frailty is a condition in older adults with decreased physical and cognitive performance that can affect health outcomes associated with fracture, disability, and falls. e aim of this study was to compare fall risk with different physical frailty statuses and investigate factors associated with fall risk in community-dwelling older adults
Frailty involves the concepts associated with the deterioration of the body related to the aging process. It encompasses the decline in physiology and biological syndromes of decreased reserve and resistance to stressors that lead to poor health outcomes such as loss of physical and mental performance [1,2,3]. ree clinical conditions are commonly used in the identification and classification of vulnerable older adults, comorbidity, frailty, and disability, which can lead to multiple adverse outcomes such as hospitalization and premature mortality in an aging population [4]
Exclusion criteria were employed, following those advised in Fried’s frailty phenotype [9] of disability and the physiological profile assessment [39]. ese included severe audio and visual impairment or noncorrected audio and visual impairment, neurological disease, and cognitive impairment using the ai Mental State Examination (TMSE) enacted [43] by community medicine staff. e cut-point established for the TMSE defines cognitive impairment is ≤ 23 scores [43]. e individuals excluded from the sample were a single older adult with a current psychiatric diagnosis, sixty-eight older adults with disabilities, and one older adult with a current stroke diagnosis. ree eligible and randomized seniors refused to participate in the study
Summary
Physical Frailty and Fall Risk in Community-Dwelling Older Adults: A Cross-Sectional Study. Received 29 October 2019; Revised 25 March 2020; Accepted 13 April 2020; Published 4 July 2020
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