Prevalence and Determinants of Frailty among rural older people of Shabestar, 2018

Abstract

Introduction: Studies of frailty in older adults have been conducted mainly in western countries, which have been able to help reduce the frailty by understanding the underlying causes and conditions. However, similar studies in developing countries such as Iran have been rarely performed and the health of the elderly has been marginally neglected due to the comparison of the provision of various services of aging in developed countries. Therefore, considering the importance of the elderly and the growing trend of this group, the need to identify frailty and related factors can help to clarify the situation and better planning for the elderly. Therefore, the present study was conducted with the aim of evaluating the prevalence and determinants of frailty in the rural elderly population of Shabestar. Methods: This descriptive - analytic study was conducted on 565 rural older adults in Shabestar city in 2018. The data collection tool was demographic variables and Tilburg Frailty Index. An interview with the elderly was conducted at the health house. SPSS Version 21 was used to analyze data. Descriptive statistics were used to report frequency and percentage and mean (standard deviation). T-test and one-way ANOVA were used to investigate the relationship between the main constructs of the questionnaire and demographic variables and Logistic regression models to determine the frailty determinants. Results: The mean age of the elderly was 71. 53 ± 7. 31. Of them, 52% was men. The results of the study showed that 46. 7% of the elderly were considered frailty. In terms of the prevalence of components of frailty in the elderly participating in the study, 65. 8%, 78. 1% and 96. 9% had physical, mental and social frailty, respectively. The prevalence of frailty was significant in terms of age, sex, marital status, lifestyle, education level and income. The prevalence of frailty was significant in terms of blood pressure, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, stroke and cancer (p <0. 05). Regression analysis showed that age (p <0. 001), hypertension (P = 0. 009) and diabetes (p = 0. 001) and also the history of fall during the last year (p <0. 001) of the most important predictors of frailty. Conclusion: According to the findings, the prevalence of frailty was high, which could be a significant risk factor for death. Because of the number of simultaneous illnesses and the history of the fall during the last year were among the most important determinants of frailty, therefore, considering the adverse outcomes of the frailty, the design and implementation of appropriate interventions to manage drug use, Treatment for chronic diseases and preventing falls is essential.