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Fukui K1,2, Urabe Y1, Maeda N1, Sasadai J1, Sakai S1,2, Tonegawa N1,2, Shima T2, Niitani M2
1Hiroshima University, Graduate School of Biomedical and Health Sciences, Department of Sports Rehabilitation, Hiroshima, Japan, 2Niitani Clinic, Kure, Japan
Background: Frailty is the transitional state from robustness to functional decline in elderly people. Early detection and prevention of frailty could prolong the healthy life expectancy. In Japan, the questionnaire called the Kihon Checklist (KCL) was used to assess frailty. KCL is the easy way to detect frailty and validity has been reported (Satake et al., 2017). KCL classified frailty into 3 groups. However, the physical functions in the KCL 3 classification are not clear.
Purpose: This study aimed to clarify the physical functions of 3 frailty groups classified by KCL and to suggest prevention way of frailty.
Methods: One hundred twenty-two elderly Japanese people who could walk without help participated in this study (men: n = 32, women: n = 90, age: 79.2 ± 7.7 years, height: 153.2 ± 9.0 cm, and body weight: 55.4 ± 10.5 kg). Total KCL (t-KCL) scores of 0-3 were classified as non-frail (NFL); 4-7, as pre-frail (PFL); and 8+, as frail (FL) (Satake et al., 2016). Physical functions were assessed by the 10-m walking time, isometric knee extensor strength, and grip strength. The Kruskal-Wallis test was used for the comparison of variables among the 3 groups, and the Steel-Dwass test was used as the multiple comparison test. The significance level was set at 5%.
Results: On the basis of the t-KCL score, the patients were classified into 3 groups as follows: 37 (30.0%) as NFL, 46 (37.7%) as PFL, and 39 (32.3%) as FL. The 10-m walking time was 6.8 ± 1.7 s in NFL, 8.3 ± 2.7 s in PFL, and 12.6 ± 6.0 s in FL, with significant differences among the groups (p 0.05). The isometric knee extensor strength was 4.8 ± 1.1 N/kg in NFL, 3.8 ± 1.2 N/kg in PFL, and 3.2 ± 1.0 N/kg in FL, with significant differences between NFL and the others (p 0.05). Grip strength was 23.9 ± 7.7 kg in NFL, 21.9 ± 6.5 kg in PFL, and 17.9 ± 7.2 kg in FL, with significant differences between PFL and FL (p 0.05).
Conclusion(s): The 10-m walking time was shorter in NFL than in PFL, and the knee extensor strength was higher in NFL than in PFL. Lower limb muscle strength was associated with the walking time (Kai et al., 2008). Thus, this result suggests that the long walking time in PFL affected lower limb muscle strength. In contrast, no significant difference in extensor strength was found between PFL and FL. However, grip strength was significantly lower in FL than in that of PFL. A previous study reported that grip strength reflected whole-body muscle strength (Murata et al., 2008). It is suggested that the walking time in FL was longer than that of the other groups due to decreased whole-body muscle strength.
Implications: This study suggested that to assess and strengthen lower limb muscle strength leads to early detection and prevention for frailty.
Keywords: Frailty, Kihon Checklist, Elderly Japanese people
Funding acknowledgements: We have no funding acknowledgement in this study.
Purpose: This study aimed to clarify the physical functions of 3 frailty groups classified by KCL and to suggest prevention way of frailty.
Methods: One hundred twenty-two elderly Japanese people who could walk without help participated in this study (men: n = 32, women: n = 90, age: 79.2 ± 7.7 years, height: 153.2 ± 9.0 cm, and body weight: 55.4 ± 10.5 kg). Total KCL (t-KCL) scores of 0-3 were classified as non-frail (NFL); 4-7, as pre-frail (PFL); and 8+, as frail (FL) (Satake et al., 2016). Physical functions were assessed by the 10-m walking time, isometric knee extensor strength, and grip strength. The Kruskal-Wallis test was used for the comparison of variables among the 3 groups, and the Steel-Dwass test was used as the multiple comparison test. The significance level was set at 5%.
Results: On the basis of the t-KCL score, the patients were classified into 3 groups as follows: 37 (30.0%) as NFL, 46 (37.7%) as PFL, and 39 (32.3%) as FL. The 10-m walking time was 6.8 ± 1.7 s in NFL, 8.3 ± 2.7 s in PFL, and 12.6 ± 6.0 s in FL, with significant differences among the groups (p 0.05). The isometric knee extensor strength was 4.8 ± 1.1 N/kg in NFL, 3.8 ± 1.2 N/kg in PFL, and 3.2 ± 1.0 N/kg in FL, with significant differences between NFL and the others (p 0.05). Grip strength was 23.9 ± 7.7 kg in NFL, 21.9 ± 6.5 kg in PFL, and 17.9 ± 7.2 kg in FL, with significant differences between PFL and FL (p 0.05).
Conclusion(s): The 10-m walking time was shorter in NFL than in PFL, and the knee extensor strength was higher in NFL than in PFL. Lower limb muscle strength was associated with the walking time (Kai et al., 2008). Thus, this result suggests that the long walking time in PFL affected lower limb muscle strength. In contrast, no significant difference in extensor strength was found between PFL and FL. However, grip strength was significantly lower in FL than in that of PFL. A previous study reported that grip strength reflected whole-body muscle strength (Murata et al., 2008). It is suggested that the walking time in FL was longer than that of the other groups due to decreased whole-body muscle strength.
Implications: This study suggested that to assess and strengthen lower limb muscle strength leads to early detection and prevention for frailty.
Keywords: Frailty, Kihon Checklist, Elderly Japanese people
Funding acknowledgements: We have no funding acknowledgement in this study.
Topic: Older people
Ethics approval required: Yes
Institution: Niitani Clinic
Ethics committee: The institutional review board of Niitani Clinic
Ethics number: NCL-18001
All authors, affiliations and abstracts have been published as submitted.
