[Prevalence of frailty in the different regions of Chile: A cross-sectional analysis of the National Health Survey 2016-2017].

UNLABELLED

Frailty is an increasingly frequent geriatric syndrome in the population; however, its regional prevalence in Chile has not been quantified.

AIM

To determine the prevalence of frailty according to Chile's regions, using the Frailty Index (IF).

MATERIAL AND METHODS

In this cross-sectional study, data from 3,036 participants with 40 or more years of the National Health Survey 2016-17 were used. For the measurement of frailty, we created a 49-item IF, and everyone was given a score from 0 to 1. Based on the score obtained, we categorized the participants as: «robust», «pre-frail», and «frail». The prevalence was calculated and divided according to geographical areas (North, Center, and South), considering the 15 regions of Chile in force as of 2016.

RESULTS

At the national level, the prevalence of robust, pre-frail, and frail individuals was 47,6%, 40,6%, and 11,8%, respectively. 15,9% were women and 7,4% men; 18,9% of the sample had less than eight years of education. The Libertador General Bernardo OHiggins Region showed a higher prevalence of frailty (18,3%), followed by the Maule Region (16,7%), which also had a higher prevalence of pre-frailty (49,6%). The Tarapacá Region presented a higher prevalence of robust people (64,6%).

CONCLUSIONS

The prevalence off rail individuals was higher in the central zone of Chile, it increased as age increased, and it was higher in women with a lower educational level.