Prevalence and Correlates of Frailty in Urban and Rural Populations in Latin America, China, and India: A 10/66 Population-Based Survey

Llibre Rodríguez J.J.; Prina M.; Prince M.J.; Acosta D.; Guerra M.; Huang Y.; Jimenez Velásquez I.Z.; Salas A.; Sosa A.L.; Jotheeswaran A.T. · Anales de la Academia de Ciencias de Cuba (2020)

Resumen

Introduction. There have been few cross-national studies of the prevalence of the frailty phenotype conducted in low or middle income countries. Objectives: The aim is to study the variation in prevalence and correlates of frailty in rural and urban sites in Latin America, India and China. Methods. Cross-sectional door-to-door population-based surveys were conducted in eight urban areas and four rural ones in eight countries: Cuba, Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Venezuela, Peru, Mexico, China, and India. We assessed walking speed, exhaustion, weight loss, and low physical activity. Therefore, frailty phenotype was defined based on two or more criteria. Results. 17,031 adults at age 65 or more were surveyed. Overall frailty prevalence was 15.2% (95% CI 14,6-15,7%). Controlling for age, gender and education, frailty was positively associated with old age, female sex, lower socioeconomic status, physical impairments, stroke, depression, dementia, disability and dependence, and high healthcare costs. There was substantial variation in the prevalence of frailty, and its indicators across sites studied in Latin America, India and China. Culture and other contextual factors significantly impact on the assessment of frailty even utilizing the usual questionnaires and physical performance-based measuring.