title: Comparison of frailty among Japanese, Brazilian Japanese descendants and Brazilian community-dwelling older women.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate frailty in Japanese, Brazilian Japanese descendants and Brazilian older women.
  
  
  METHODS
  The collected data included sociodemographic and health-related characteristics, and the frailty index Kihon Checklist. We analyzed the differences between the mean scores of Kihon Checklist domains (using ancova) and the percentage of frail women (using χ(2)-test). We carried out a binary logistic regression with Kihon Checklist domains.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 211 participants (Japanese n = 84, Brazilian Japanese descendants n = 55, Brazilian n = 72) participated in this research. The Brazilian participants had the highest total Kihon Checklist scores (more frail), whereas the Brazilian Japanese descendants had the lowest scores (P < 0.001). Furthermore, the Brazilian group had more participants with oral dysfunction (P < 0.001), seclusion (P < 0.001), cognitive impairment (P < 0.001) and depression (P < 0.001). They were more likely to be frail (OR 5.97, 95% CI 2.69-13.3, P < 0.001), to have oral dysfunction (OR 3.18, 95% CI 1.47-6.85, P = 0.003), seclusion (OR 9.15, 95% CI 3.53-23.7, P < 0.001), cognitive impairment (OR 3.87, 95% CI 1.93-7.75, P < 0.001) and depression (OR 6.63, 95% CI 2.74-16.0, P < 0.001) than the Japanese group.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The older Brazilian women were likely to be more frail than the participants in other groups. More than the environment itself, the lifestyle and sociodemographic conditions could affect the frailty of older Brazilian women.
authors.affiliation: Department of Human Health Sciences, Kyoto University Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto, Japan.
authors.forename: Priscila Yukari Sewo
authors.initials: PY
authors.lastname: Sampaio
authors.affiliation: Department of Human Health Sciences, Kyoto University Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto, Japan.
authors.forename: Ricardo Aurélio Carvalho
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Sampaio
authors.affiliation: Department of Human Health Sciences, Kyoto University Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto, Japan.
authors.forename: Minoru
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Yamada
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Science, Kyoto Koka Women's University, Kyoto, Japan.
authors.forename: Mihoko
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ogita
authors.affiliation: Department of Human Health Sciences, Kyoto University Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto, Japan.
authors.forename: Hidenori
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Arai
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001938:Brazil / Q000453:epidemiology; D057189:Checklist; D003431:Cross-Cultural Comparison; D003469:Culture; D016330:Frail Elderly / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D015577:Geriatric Assessment; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000208:ethnology; D008019:Life Style; D016015:Logistic Models; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors
keywords: Kihon Checklist; cross-cultural study; frailty; older women