Multidimensional Approach to Frailty among Rural Older People: Applying the Tilburg Frailty Indicator

Introduction: Frailty is a common geriatric syndrome. Studies of frailty and old age have been able to help reduce its underlying causes and complication. Understanding the frailty and its associated factors in developing countries such as Iran, can help gather information on conditions of the elderly and better plan for this age population. Therefore, the present study was implemented to investigate the prevalence and determinants of frailty in the rural elderly population of Shabestar, East Azarbayjan, Iran.   Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted among 565 rural older people in Shabestar, Iran during 2018-2019. The data collection tool was the Tilburg Frailty Indicator. The participants were selected by using stratified and simple random approach. Descriptive statistics, t-test, one-way ANOVA and logistic regression were used to perform data analysis.   Results: Of the participants, 46.7% were detected as being frail. The associations between the prevalence of frailty and sociodemographic characteristics such as age, gender, marital status, types of lifestyle, educational level, and income status were statistically significant (p < 0.05). Regression analysis showed that age (β = -0.84, p < 0.05), the number of medications used (β = -2.72, p < 0.001), hypertension (β = -0.633, p < 0.006), diabetes (β = -535, p < 0.045) and the history of fall during the last year (β = -4.21, p < 0.001) were the most important predictors of frailty among non-institutionalized rural older people.   Conclusion: The study confirms the importance of common chronic medical conditions and sociodemographic characteristics in the development of frailty syndrome among older adults. The descriptive nature of the study implies observational trials to clarify more deeply relationship between frailty and the determinants found.