Frailty prevalence and associated factors in community dwelling older adults: An examination of the frailty care model.

Background: Age-related changes put older adults at risk for frailty. The Frailty Care Model was created to inform the care of older adults with or at risk for frailty. The purpose was to test the Frailty Care Model.

Methods: This was a cross-sectional study to identify associations between factors in the Frailty Care Model, and frailty components in older adults' strength, fatigue, ability to ambulate, and weight loss over the last year. Comparisons across frailty groups used Pearson's chi-square tests or Fisher's exact tests. ANOVA tests and Kruskal-Wallis tests were used. Multivariable ordinal regression models were fit.

Results: Odds of frailty increased by 137% for those who lived alone, 20% for those who were depressed, and 433% for those who were classified as "at risk for malnutrition".

Conclusions: This study was the first to test the Frailty Care Model with a focus on modifiable factors that predict frailty.