Prevalence of Frailty and Mobility Limitation in a Rural Setting in France.

Background: The prevalence of frailty is variable according to the adopted operational definition, the tested population, and the setting where it is explored.

Objective: To estimate the prevalence of frailty and mobility disability in community-dwelling persons aged 60 years and older.

Design: Cross-sectional analyses.

Setting: The rural area of Labastide-Murat (France).

Participants: All community-dwelling persons aged 60 years and older living in the area and answering to the study survey (n=572/1022).

Measurements: The study questionnaire included questions defining mobility disability (as ability to walk 400 meters and climb up 2 flights of stairs) and frailty (according to the FRAIL instrument and a modified version of the original definition proposed by Fried and colleagues).

Results: Mean age of participants was 72.4 years old. Mobility disability was reported by 47 (8.3%) participants. The sedentariness criterion of frailty was the most prevalent in the present population. Overall, according to the FRAIL instrument, 77.6%, 14.0%, and 8.3% could be defined as robust, pre-frail/frail, and disabled, respectively. When the alternative definition of frailty mirroring the definition proposed in the Cardiovascular Health Study was adopted, the prevalence of frailty increased and showed gender-specific differences (p=0.02).

Conclusions: A relevant number of older persons living in rural areas experiences physical impairments and presents an increased risk for major negative health-related events. These results may support the ongoing clinical and research actions aimed at preventing the functional decline in elders.