Abstract
Aim: There is limited information about the association between frailty, cognitive status and functional fitness in older adults living in institutions. We aimed to determine the prevalence of frailty and its association with cognitive status and functional fitness among pre-frail and frail Malaysian older adults residing in institutions on the west coast of Peninsular Malaysia. Methods: This study included 302 ambulating Malaysian institutionalised older adults. Frailty was identified using Fried’s frailty criteria. Cognitive status was assessed using the Mini Mental State Examination and Addenbrooke’s Cognitive Examination. Functional fitness was assessed using the Senior Fitness test. The association between frailty groups, cognitive status and functional fitness was analysed using binary logistic regression. Results: Prevalence of frailty, prefrailty and robustness in the older adults was 56.6%, 40.7% and 2.9%, respectively. Frailty was found to be associated with hypertension (OR 2.15, 95% CI: 1.11–4.16, p = 0.024), lower cognitive status (Addenbrooke’s Cognitive Examination) (OR 0.98, 95% C.I: 0.96–0.99, p = 0.038), and lower dynamic balance and mobility (Timed Up and Go test) (OR 1.09, 95% CI: 1.01–1.16, p = 0.024). Conclusion: Frailty is highly prevalent among Malaysian institutionalised older adults. Hypertension, cognitive impairment and lower dynamic balance and mobility were found to be risk factors of frailty. Screening of frailty and its associated factors should be prioritized among institutionalised older adults in view of early prevention and rehabilitation.
Highlights
IntroductionThe number of older adults aged 60 years and above is projected to be 2.1 billion by the year 2050, which is more than double the current population, which was estimated to be 962 million in the year 2017 [1]
Across the globe, the ageing population is rapidly increasing
In this study, we aimed to investigate the prevalence of frailty and its association with cognitive status and functional fitness among ambulating older adults residing in institutions on the west coast of Peninsular Malaysia
Summary
The number of older adults aged 60 years and above is projected to be 2.1 billion by the year 2050, which is more than double the current population, which was estimated to be 962 million in the year 2017 [1]. The Malaysian national policy defines senior citizens as individuals aged 60 years and above, which is 5 years younger than in developed nations, where older adults are those aged 65 years and above [2]. As of the year 2000, the total population of older adults. Res. Public Health 2019, 16, 4716; doi:10.3390/ijerph16234716 www.mdpi.com/journal/ijerph
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
