Association of Frailty Status and Functional Disability among Community‐Dwelling People Aged 80 and Older in Vietnam
Thu Thi Hoai Nguyen, Anh Trung Nguyen, Thanh‐Huyen T. Vu, Nga Thi Dau, Phong Quy Nguyen, Thanh Xuan Nguyen, Tam Ngoc Nguyen, Huong Thi Thu Nguyen, Thang Pham, Huyen Thi Thanh Vu
Abstract
OBJECTIVES: This study investigated associations between frailty and functional disability in elder suburban Vietnamese. METHOD: Cross-sectional analysis was carried out on 251 participants aged 80 and over in Soc Son district. We used the Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADL) scale including 8 items, and functional disability was defined as ≥3 IADL impairment. We defined frail as ≥3 out of 5 frailty components including weight loss > 5%, weak grip, exhaustion, low walking speed, and low physical activity. RESULTS: Of 251 participants with a mean age of 84.6, 11.2% was classified as frail and 64.5% had ≥3 IADLs. Among the frailty components, low walking speed and low physical activity were significantly associated with increased odds of having ≥3 IADLs: ORs (95% CI) were 4.2 (2.3-7.9) and 3.7 (1.7-8.2). CONCLUSION: Frailty is associated with the higher likelihood of having functional disability. Further longitudinal studies are needed to examine the causal this relationship.