This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of frailty in elderly females living in the community, and to examine its relation to motor function and the main risk factors of frailty.
The participants were 67 elderly females living in the community who participated in health salon activities, aged 76.2 ± 7.7 years. We performed measurements of physical parameters, Grip strength, Timed up and go test (TUG), and Walking speed. Skeletal muscle mass index (SMI) and muscle mass of the upper limbs, lower limbs, and trunk were determined using a body composition analyzer (MC-780A, TANITA). The Kihon Checklist (KCL) of the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW) was used to measure frailty. The KCL consists of seven subcategories: instrumental activities of daily living (IADL), physical function, nutrition, oral function, housebound, cognitive function, and depression. In this study, KCL scores were classified : ≤3 as robust (healthy), 4-7 as pre-frailty, and ≥8 as frailty, according to Stake et al. (2016) criteria. For comparisons among the three groups (frailty, pre-frailty, and robust) were perfomed using one-way ANOVA and Kruskal–Wallis test. Multiple regression analysis was performed to determine whether the KCL subscores contributed to frailty. Statistical significance was set at 0.05.
The KCL results revealed 31.3%, 31.3%, and 37.3% in the frailty, pre-frailty, and robust groups, respectively. For physical characteristics, there was a significant difference in age between the robust and frailty groups (p=0.004). No significant differences were found between the groups regarding SMI and muscle mass of each body part. Motor function assessment showed significant differences among the three groups in grip strength (p=0.005), TUG (p=0.001), and walking speed (p=0.001). The frailty group was older and had decreased motor function compared to the pre-frailty and robust groups. Multiple regression analysis revealed that the subscores influencing frailty were depression, physical function, and oral function.
The elderly in this study were health-conscious and actively participated in salon activities such as exercise, but most of them were in the frailty and pre-frailty groups. In particular, the frailty group was older and had decreased motor function compared to the pre-frailty and robust groups. The most influential factor in frailty was found to be depression, followed by physical function. Although the focus is on motor function, it is also necessary to assess social and mental function from various perspectives, such as the background of elderly people.
It is essential to identify frailty at an early stage and identify its preventive factors, in order to extend the healthy life expectancy of the local population.
Elderly females in the community
Kihon Checklist (KCL)
