Self-Rated Health and Frailty in Older Adults from the Population-Based Three-City Bordeaux Cohort.

INTRODUCTION

This study aimed to investigate whether self-rated health (SRH) predict frailty and its components among community dwellers aged 75 years and older.

METHODS

We ran a cross-sectional and prospective analysis from 643 and 379 participants of the Bordeaux Center (France) of the Three-City Study, respectively. We assessed SRH using a single question with 5 response options. We defined frailty as having at least 3 out of the following 5 criteria: weight loss, exhaustion, slowness, weakness, and low energy expenditure. We used multivariate logistic regression and Cox proportional hazard models.

RESULTS

At baseline, poor SRH was significantly associated with frailty (odds ratio = 5.2; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 2.9-9.5) and its components except for weakness. In the prospective analysis on nonfrail participants, poor SRH was associated with the 4-year risk of slowness (hazard ratio [HR] = 1.7; 95% CI: 1.1-2.6) but not with that of frailty (HR = 1.6; 95% CI: 0.9-2.9) or the other components.

CONCLUSIONS

In a French cohort of community dwellers aged 75 years or older, poorer SRH was associated with concomitant frailty and 70% higher risk of slowness over 4 years.