Characteristics of physical prefrailty among Japanese healthy older adults

Aim: The purpose of the present study was to clarify the characteristics of frailty at an early stage (prefrailty) in a healthy elderly Japanese population. Methods: The participants were 620 healthy older adults (age range 60-89 years) who were current students or graduates of a community college for older adults in Japan. All participants were evaluated using the Kihon Checklist, a tool developed to screen for frailty in Japan. The participants were categorized by the Fried criteria (lost weight, handgrip strength, walking speed, exhaustion, physical activity) into either a prefrailty (1-2 criteria) or a non-frailty (0 criterion) group. Results: In the logistic regression model for the prevalence of prefrailty, significant and independent determinants were chronic constipation (odds ratio [OR] 2.1, 95% confidence interval Kg 1.15-3.90, P = 0.016), occurrence of incontinence (OR 2.0, 95% CI 1.39-2.82, P < 0.001), unable to climb stairs (OR 3.0, 95% CI 1.26-7.02, P = 0.013), dry mouth (OR 1.5, 95% CI 1.04-2.22, P = 0.029), a lack of fulfillment (OR 3.2, 95% CI 1.26-7.93, P = 0.015), found easy tasks difficult (OR 2.8, 95% CI 1.30-5.85, P = 0.008) and felt helpless (OR 2.1, 95% CI 1.02-4.39, P = 0.044). Conclusions: These results suggest that the appearance of autonomic failure, oral malfunction and some psychological factors in relation to depressed mood, but not anthropometric measurements, are characteristic of prefrailty.