AUTHOR=Zhou Qi , Li Yao , Gao Qiang , Yuan Huiping , Sun Liang , Xi Huan , Wu Wenbin 

TITLE=Prevalence of Frailty Among Chinese Community-Dwelling Older Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

JOURNAL=International Journal of Public Health

VOLUME=Volume 68 - 2023

YEAR=2023

URL=https://www.ssph-journal.org/journals/international-journal-of-public-health/articles/10.3389/ijph.2023.1605964

DOI=10.3389/ijph.2023.1605964

ISSN=1661-8564

ABSTRACT=Background: China is stepping into an aging society and facing unprecedented challenges in the high frailty prevalence among the elderly. Systematically reviewing the epidemiology of frailty will provide insightful guidance for countries with fast population ageing.
Methods: Six electronic databases were searched until November 2022. Data from cross-sectional studies with a clear frailty definition and a mean age ≥ 60 were pooled using meta-analysis.
Results: 64 studies (n = 106,826 participants) from 23 (67.6%) of China’s provinces were included. The overall prevalence of frailty and prefrailty among older community dwellers was 10.1% (95% CI: 8.5 -11.7%) and 43.9% (95% CI: 40.1-47.8%), respectively. Adults over 70 years, women, unmarried, living alone, and those with less education had higher odds of frailty. Reginal disparities in frailty were observed; people in rural areas or areas with worse economic conditions had higher prevalences of frailty.
Conclusion: A great variation in frailty prevalence was observed between subgroups of older adults stratified by common risk factors. The Chinese government should pay more attentions to seniors at high risk and regions with a high prevalence of frailty.