THE TURKISH ADAPTATION OF THE TILBURG FRAILTY INDICATOR: A VALIDITY AND RELIABILITY STUDY

Introduction: Frailty is a dynamic condition that affects individuals who suffer from loss in one or more areas of human functioning (physical, psychological, and social). It is possible to reduce morbidity and mortality by recognizing this condition in the elderly. This study aimed to develop a Turkish adaptation of the Tilburg Frailty Indicator and assess whether it is a valid, reliable tool for the Turkish population. Materials and Method: Our descriptive cross-sectional study enrolled 271 individuals aged >65 years. The scale was adapted into Turkish before conducting the study. Known groups were tested using confirmatory factor analysis to assess the validity of the scale. The Cronbach's alpha reliability and the Kuder-Richardson Formula-21 internal consistency coefficients were used to assess the reliability. Results: The median age of the participants was 71 years (range=65-90 years). The average total frailty score was 4.56 +/- 3.09. The total Cronbach's alpha coefficient for the Tilburg Frailty Indicator was 0.758. The Kuder-Richardson Formula-21 reliability coefficient was 0.758 for the entire scale. The summary of good agreement findings obtained by confirmatory factor analysis showed that the scale can conceptually define the construct it was designed to measure at a good level. Conclusion: Based on our results, it has been established that the Turkish adaptation of the Tilburg Frailty Indicator is a valid and reliable tool. We believe that our findings have contributed to early detection of problems related to elderly health and the management of frailty in primary care.