Risk Factors of Frailty Among Multi-Ethnic Malaysian Older Adults

Background: Malaysia is experiencing an increase in the percentage of older people who have a higher life expectancy. However, information regarding the prevalence and risk factors of frailty is scarce for Malaysian older adults. The aim of this cross-sectional study is to determine the prevalence and risk factors of frailty among multi-ethnic community dwellings for older adults in Malaysia. Methods: A total of 473 older adults aged 60 years and above (210 men and 263 women) were randomly selected from 10 different areas in the Klang Valley of Malaysia. The respondents were screened at selected community centres; their frailty status was defined using Fried's criteria. Respondents were assessed for their physical functional status using selected parameters of a senior fitness test and other physical performance tests regarding their activities in daily life. Anthropometric measurements, cognitive function and symptoms of depression were also assessed for each respondent. Results: The prevalence of frailty was 8.9% and of pre-frailty was 61.7%, with women having a higher prevalence compared to men (p < 0.01). Binary logistic regression analyses showed that female gender, abdominal obesity, low peak respiratory flow rate score and slower rapid pace gait speed were significant predictors of frailty. Conclusion: Frailty affected about one tenth of the respondents, but almost two thirds were pre-frail. In addition to gender, other modifiable factors including abdominal obesity and poor physical function were identified as risk factors for frailty and pre-frailty among Malaysian older adults. Copyright (C) 2017, Taiwan Society of Geriatric Emergency & Critical Care Medicine. Published by Elsevier Taiwan LLC. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license.