The frailty among suburban elderly population after one-year COVID-19 pandemic in Cirebon Regency, Indonesia.

BACKGROUND

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has had significant impacts worldwide, especially among older adults. Frailty is a determinant of susceptibility to morbidity and mortality due to COVID-19 in the elderly. This study aimed to determine frailty status and identify factors associated with the suburban elderly population in Cirebon Regency, Indonesia, after the one-year COVID-19 pandemic.

METHODS

A cross-sectional study of community-dwelling individuals aged ≥ 60 years was conducted in Klangenan, Cirebon Regency, Indonesia, from March to June 2021. A questionnaire was used to determine the baseline characteristics of participants, healthcare access, comorbidity, and frailty status. The Ina-FRAIL scale was used to determine the frailty status (frail/non-frail). The chi-square test and logistic regression analysis were used to determine the association between independent variables and frailty.

RESULTS

A total of 383 participants were recruited, with a median age of 67 (IQR 64-73) years. The prevalence of frailty in the present study was 10.2%. Multivariate analysis showed that age (OR 2.73; 95%CI 1.21-6.12), multimorbidity (OR 7.86; 95% CI 3.01-20.57) and financial dependence (OR 13.40, 95% CI 5.66-31.73) were significantly associated with frailty.

CONCLUSION

One-year COVID-19 pandemic has had a considerable burden on frailty among the suburban elderly population in Indonesia. The factors associated with frailty were age, multimorbidity, and financial dependence.