Pilot study on cutoff values of physical, psychological and social frailty indexes in Taiwan community-dwelling older people
Journal
Taiwan Journal of Public Health
Journal Volume
39
Journal Issue
6
Date Issued
2020-12-01
Author(s)
Zhong, Zi Ting
Yeh, Yen Po
Chen, Yin Cheng
Chen, Peng Yu
Abstract
Objectives: Screening for frailty among older people to guard them against adverse health outcomes is a crucial task as the population ages. This study sought to find the most optimal cutoff values for physical (SOF-walking speed » SOF-handgrip), psychological (TFI, Tilburg Frailty Indicator), and social frailty indexes (QSFS, Questionnaire to define Social Frailty Status), and Modified SOF TFI QSFS Integrated Frailty Tool (MSTQ) in Taiwanese community-dwelling older people. Methods: The study used cross-sectional survey data in two secondary sets collected from two municipalities in Taipei, with 471 and 703 older adult participants, respectively. Spearman's rank correlation analysis was used to assess the association of three dimensions of frailty. Receiver operator characteristic curves were generated to determine the discriminant functions for these frailty indexes. Results: Modest associations were found between physical, psychological, and social frailty. The full integrated frailty indexes, which combined the three separate indexes, showed an improved discriminant function (cutoff values: Frail ≥4, pre-frail = 3) relative to the single index. The cutoff values suggested for Taiwanese older adults was as follows: Physical frailty (frail ≥2, pre-frail = 1), psychological frailty (frail ≥3, pre-frail = 2), and social frailty (frail ≥2, pre-frail = 1). Conclusions: Our findings supported the use of the full integrated frailty index and provided cutoff values to screen older community-dwelling people for frailty. The discriminate ability of the MSTQ was better to include SOF-handgrip comparing to include SOF walking speed as physical frailty. Researchers can select either one of the indexes as needed.
Subjects
Cutoff Values | Mstq: Modified Sof Tfi Qsfs Integrated Frailty Tool | Physical Frailty | Psychological Frailty | Social Frailty
SDGs
Type
journal article