Prevalence and Determinants of Frailty amongst the Elderly: A Study from a Tertiary Care Hospital in North India

The elderly population in India is rising rapidly, which merits the need to develop an understanding of the prevalence and determinants of frailty in this age group. This study was conducted at a tertiary care hospital in New Delhi, India. The participants were over 60 years of age. The authors used the Edmonton Frailty Scale to assess frailty and a semi-structured questionnaire to assess sociodemographic variables, morbidity and lifestyle factors. The mean age of participants in the study was 66.7 years (standard deviation ± 5.52). The prevalence of any type of frailty was 34.7% (95% confidence interval [CI] 29.9%–39.6%). Amongst the frail, 11.9% were vulnerable to frailty, 11.7% were mildly frail, 8.1% were moderately frail and 3% were severely frail. Significant associations were found with age, chronic diseases and smokeless tobacco use. There is a substantial prevalence of frailty amongst the elderly, with critical links to age, chronic disease and lifestyle choices. These findings underscore the necessity of integrating frailty assessment into routine geriatric care and primary healthcare services.