Abstract
Objective: Data on the prevalence of frailty in Kerala is sparse. The objective of this study was to estimate the prevalence of frailty among community-dwelling elderly people in Kerala and explore the sociodemographic factors associated with physical and oral frailty among this population. We further explored the associations between physical and oral frailty.
Design: Community based cross-sectional study.
Setting: Cluster sampled area of Thrissur District, Kerala.
Participants: Random sample0 of adults aged 60 years and above, from the cluster sampled
area of Thrissur district.
Methods: We sampled 1079 community-dwelling adults aged ≥60 years from the Thrissur district of Kerala, using stratified random cluster sampling. Physical frailty was defined and recorded based on Fried’s Frailty Phenotype, Reported Edmonton Frail Scale (REFS), and SARC-F sarcopenia scales. Oral frailty was recorded based on Tanaka measures and Oral and Maxillofacial Frailty Index (OMFI). Logistic regressions with robust standard errors were utilized to examine the associations between socio-demographic determinants and frailty, and between physical frailty and oral frailty.
Results: Overall, 35.2% were classified as physically frail and 62.2% as prefrail, while 22% of population had oral frailty. In the unadjusted model, individuals with oral frailty showed greater odds of being physically frail than those without oral frailty. (Crude OR= 1.584, 95% CI=1.157-2.169, p-value= 0.004). This association persisted after controlling for socio demographic variables and number of teeth. (Adjusted OR=1.423,95% CI=1.020-1.987, p value;0.038).
Conclusion: Integrating the multidisciplinary approaches like oral frailty assessment along with general frailty assessment can promote healthy aging.