Department of Health Sciences, Savitribai Phule Pune University, Pune, India.
Indian J Med Res. 2024 May;159(5):441-448. doi: 10.25259/ijmr_865_22.
Background & objectives Frailty is a geriatric syndrome with clinical and public health implications. It represents the state of increased vulnerability. This study aimed to estimate the prevalence of frailty and pre-frailty by demographic characteristics and geographical regions in India. Furthermore, it also aimed to examine the association of this prevalence with selected health outcomes using data from the Longitudinal Ageing Study of India (LASI). Methods This is a secondary analysis of LASI wave-1 data. A total of 26,058 respondents aged ≥60 yr were included for analysis. Frailty was assessed using Fried's frailty phenotype, including slowness, shrinking, low physical activity, weakness, and low endurance. Descriptive statistics were used to study frailty distribution. The odds ratio (OR) of health events across the frailty categories was computed using ordinal logistic regression. Results The findings of this study suggest that the prevalence of frailty and pre-frailty was 29.2 and 58.8 per cent, respectively. The prevalence of frailty was higher among women (37.3%), illiterate (37%) and rural residents (31%). It ranged between 14.5 per cent in Uttarakhand and 41.3 per cent in Arunachal Pradesh. Frailty was strongly associated with depression [OR: 2.09, Confidence Interval (CI): 1.98-2.21] and activities of daily living (ADL) difficulty (OR: 1.75, CI: 1.64-1.86). Higher odds were reported for fracture (OR: 1.24, CI: 1.01-1.51) and multimorbidity (OR: 1.18, CI: 1.04-1.33) among frailty. Interpretation & conclusions The heterogeneity of frailty prevalence across States indicates the need for population-specific strategies. A sharp age-related increase in prevalence highlights the need for preventive measures. Furthermore, the high prevalence of frailty among women, illiterate and rural residents indicates the target population for receiving preventive interventions. Lastly, a heterogeneity in frailty prevalence across different States indicates the scope for region-specific programmes.
衰弱是一种具有临床和公共卫生意义的老年综合征，代表着易损性增加的状态。本研究旨在根据人口统计学特征和地理区域评估印度衰弱和衰弱前期的流行率。此外，还使用来自印度纵向老龄化研究（LASI）的数据，研究这种流行率与选定健康结果的相关性。
这是 LASI 波 1 数据的二次分析。共纳入 26058 名年龄≥60 岁的受访者进行分析。使用 Fried 的衰弱表型评估衰弱，包括行动缓慢、体重减轻、体力活动减少、身体虚弱和耐力下降。使用描述性统计方法研究衰弱的分布。使用有序逻辑回归计算各衰弱类别健康事件的比值比（OR）。
本研究结果表明，衰弱和衰弱前期的患病率分别为 29.2%和 58.8%。女性（37.3%）、文盲（37%）和农村居民（31%）的衰弱患病率较高。患病率在北阿坎德邦为 14.5%，在阿鲁纳恰尔邦为 41.3%。衰弱与抑郁（OR：2.09，置信区间（CI）：1.98-2.21）和日常生活活动（ADL）困难（OR：1.75，CI：1.64-1.86）密切相关。衰弱患者骨折（OR：1.24，CI：1.01-1.51）和多种合并症（OR：1.18，CI：1.04-1.33）的发生几率更高。
各州衰弱流行率的异质性表明需要制定针对特定人群的策略。衰弱流行率随年龄的急剧增加突出了需要采取预防措施。此外，女性、文盲和农村居民中衰弱的高患病率表明了需要接受预防干预的目标人群。最后，不同州之间衰弱流行率的异质性表明了针对特定地区的计划的范围。
