Abstract
Background & Objective: The study aimed to evaluate the predictive validity of the Brody self-report frailty index among older people. Design, setting & measurements: A longitudinal cohort study (2-years) conducted in Sweden, which included 1141 respondents, aged 65–103 years. Data were collected during 2011-2013 through a postal questionnaire with questions about demographic data, living conditions, self-reported health, ADL dependency (ADL-staircase) and frailty (the Brody frailty index). Results: The total sample was comprised of 53 percent women and the mean age was 74.5 years (SD 7.0). The mean frailty index score at baseline was 0.12 and increased with higher age (rs= 0.819) as well as with increased ADL dependency (rs = 0.740). The analyses showed high percentage of correctly classified cases (97.1-98.2), high specificity (98.1-98.4) but low sensitivity (22.2-66.7). Conclusion: The self-report frailty index seems to be a valid measure of current frailty, but its predictive validity was found to be non-acceptable especially regarding the instrument’s sensitivity. Such instrument can be useful to predict frailty and allocate resources in the care of older people.