Prevalence and risk factors of frailty phenotype among vulnerable solitary elderly individuals

The World Health Organization has defined elderly individuals living independently as an 'at risk' group. This vulnerable population thus faces a disproportionate amount of frailty, disabilities and/or death. In this study, the total number of participants was 276, with 13 incomplete responses, resulting in 263 valid questionnaires. Frailty status of the subjects (n = 263) was evaluated according to the frailty criteria of osteoporotic fractures study. Overall, 35% of the study participants were frail, 19.8% were pre-frail and 45.2% were non-frail. Additionally, compared with non-frail, solitary elderly individuals with basic activities of daily living limitation or heart failure more easily became pre-frail. The research demonstrates a high prevalence of frailty in urban Taiwanese solitary elderly individuals. Pre-frailty and frailty significantly impacts health, owing to their strong association with cardiovascular disease, disability and fracture. Results of this study could provide a valuable reference material for health-care providers and potentially facilitate an important foundation for the planning of nursing interventions care.