Sex Differences in Frailty Factors and Their Capacity to Identify Frailty in Older Adults Living in Long-Term Nursing Homes

Nagore Arizaga-Iribarren, Amaia Irazusta, Itxaso Mugica-Errazquin, Janire Virgala-García, Arantxa Amonarraiz and Maider Kortajarena ()
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Nagore Arizaga-Iribarren: Department of Nursing II, Faculty of Medicine and Nursing, University of the Basque Country, 20014 Donostia/San Sebastián, Spain
Amaia Irazusta: Department of Nursing I, Faculty of Medicine and Nursing, University of the Basque Country, 48940 Leioa, Spain
Itxaso Mugica-Errazquin: Department of Nursing II, Faculty of Medicine and Nursing, University of the Basque Country, 20014 Donostia/San Sebastián, Spain
Janire Virgala-García: Osakidetza Basque Health Service, OSI Tolosaldea, Tolosa Primary Care Center, 20400 Tolosa, Spain
Arantxa Amonarraiz: San José Long-Term Nursing Home, 20240 Ordizia, Spain
Maider Kortajarena: Department of Nursing II, Faculty of Medicine and Nursing, University of the Basque Country, 20014 Donostia/San Sebastián, Spain

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 20, issue 1, 1-14

Abstract: Frailty is a phenomenon that precedes adverse health events in older people. However, there is currently no consensus for how to best measure frailty. Several studies report that women have a higher prevalence of frailty than men, but there is a gap in studies of the high rates of frailty in older people living in long-term nursing homes (LTNHs) stratified by sex. Therefore, we analyzed health parameters related to frailty and measured their capacity to identify frailty stratified by sex in older people living in LTNHs. According to the Fried Frailty Phenotype (FFP), anxiety increased the risk of frailty in women, while for men functionality protected against the risk of frailty. Regarding the Tilburg Frailty Indicator (TFI), functionality had a protective effect in men, while for women worse dynamic balance indicated a higher risk of frailty. The analyzed parameters had a similar capacity for detecting frailty measured by the TFI in both sexes, while the parameters differed in frailty measured by the FFP. Our study suggests that assessment of frailty in older adults should incorporate a broad definition of frailty that includes not only physical parameters but also psycho-affective aspects as measured by instruments such as the TFI.

Keywords: frailty; capacity to identify; stratified by sex; multidimensional (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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