Frailty and Multimorbidity Among Community-Dwelling Older People in Vietnam

Abstract

and hospitalization. 3 Frailty and multimorbidity have a bidirectional relationship, 4 with frailty potentially originating from the existence of comorbidities and also predisposing older adults to multimorbidity. 3 According to Rockwood’s concept, frailty involved the accumulation of multiple deficits, including chronic diseases. 2 Moreover, both frailty and multimorbidity are associated with increased risks of hospitalization, mortality, and disabilities. 5 Previous studies have suggested that, in Vietnam, ABSTRACT Background/Purpose: This study aimed to identify the prevalence of frailty and multimorbidity, as well as their interrelationship, among communitydwelling older people in Vietnam. Methods: This cross-sectional study involved face-to-face interviews with community-dwelling older people who living in Ho Chi Minh City. Frailty was assessed according to Fried’s criteria, and multimorbidity was defined as the coexistence of ≥2 chronic diseases. Results: The study included 598 participants (mean age: 71.2±7.8 years, 67.2% female). The prevalence of multimorbidity was 55.5%. The prevalence of frailty was 18.1%, was significantly higher among participants with multimorbidity (multimorbidity: 23.1% vs. no multimorbidity: 11.5%, p <0.001). Multivariate analysis revealed that multimorbidity was an independent factor that associated with frailty (adjusted odds ratio: 1.92, 95% confidence interval: 1.17-3.17, p =0.010). Conclusion: The prevalences of frailty and multimorbidity were very high among community-dwelling older people in Vietnam. Furthermore, multimorbidity was an independent factor that associated with frailty. Therefore, early health interventions are needed to prevent and manage both frailty and multimorbidity in this vulnerable population.