Prevalence and factors associated with frailty in non-institutionalized older adults

Objective: to investigate the prevalence and factors associated with frailty in non-institutionalized older adults living in northern Minas Gerais, Brazil. Method: data were collected in their homes, in 2013, based on a census cluster sampling. Demographic and socioeconomic variables, morbidities, utilization of health care services, and scores on the Edmonton Fragility Scale were analyzed. The adjusted prevalence ratios were obtained using the Poisson regression multiple analysis with robust variance. Results: the prevalence of frailty was 41.3%. The variables associated with frailty were: female gender, very old age, education of less than four years, not having been hospitalized in the last 12 months, having a caregiver, falling in the prior year, diabetes mellitus, cardiac disease, and osteoarticular disease. Conclusion: the prevalence of frailty was high. Some factors consist of modifiable conditions, which should encourage health actions aimed at this group.