Frailty criteria in the elderly: a pilot study

Objective: To measure the frailty of people 75 years or over and who live in their own homes based on Fried's criteria and modified by Avila-Funes. Design: Pilot study of cross-sectional design. Site: Primary Health Care Centres (7) in the city of Lleida. Participants: A probabilistic sample was selected for every stratum. The total sample was 323 individuals. Primary measurements: Socio-demographic characteristics, measurement of the five frailty criteria (involuntary lose of weight, low energy or exhaustion, slow mobility, muscle weakness, low physical activity), and geriatric assessment scales (Charlson Index, Pfeiffer's Test, Katz Index, Lawton and Brody Index, MNA Test and CES-D scale). Results: The prevalence of frailty was 8.5%. Factors associated with frailty were, female sex and low monthly income. It was observed that if the frailty increases, there is deterioration of cognitive status, activities of daily living and nutritional status. There is also higher morbidity. Frailty criteria scores showed a significant correlation with geriatric assessment scales scores. Conclusions: The prevalence of frailty in elderly people is similar to those in other studies that have used the same criteria. The measurement of frailty criteria in this study demonstrates a better ability for transcription of results. A frailty study using specific markers enhances prevention and improvement of new intervention programs. (C) 2009 Elsevier Espana, S.L. All rights reserved.