Prevalence of frailty and associated socio-demographic factors among community-dwelling older people in southwestern Iran: a cross-sectional study

Objectives This community-based cross-sectional study aimed to identify the frailty prevalence and associated socio-demographic factors among older adults in five cities of the south west of Iran. Methods We selected a random sample of adults aged 60 years and above from five Southwest cities in Iran. Data for this study were retrospectively collected from 540 community-dwelling older adults. To measure frailty, we utilized the frailty index of cumulative deficit (FICD). Data were collected from medical records and socio-demographic factors, including gender, age, marital status, education level, lifestyle, income, and job status. The chi-square test and Spearman's correlation coefficient test were used to assess the relationship between the demographic variables and frailty status (SPSS version 22). Also, multiple binary logistic regression models were used to estimate the effects of demographic characteristics on the frailty recurrence. Results The overall frailty prevalence was as follows: 77 (14.3%) frail, 139 (25.7%) pre-frail, and 324 (60%) not frail. The findings showed that all variables except education level and marital status are significantly associated with frailty status (P < 0.05). Multiple ridge logistic regression model indicated that age, gender, marital status, job status have significant, and education level, living arrangement, and economic status have no considerable effect on the frailty. Conclusions This study has shown that age and gender significantly contributed to the frailty process in older adults. The research also has shown the syndrome's occurrence affected by the aging process, and it supports the biological characteristics of frailty.