title: Prevalence of Frailty and Aging-Related Health Conditions in Older Koreans in Rural Communities: a Cross-Sectional Analysis of the Aging Study of Pyeongchang Rural Area.
abstract: Frailty has been previously studied in Western countries and the urban Korean population; however, the burden of frailty and geriatric conditions in the aging populations of rural Korean communities had not yet been determined. Thus, we established a population-based prospective study of adults aged ≥ 65 years residing in rural communities of Korea between October 2014 and December 2014. All participants underwent comprehensive geriatric assessment that encompassed the assessment of cognitive and physical function, depression, nutrition, and body composition using bioimpedance analysis. We determined the prevalence of frailty based on the Cardiovascular Health Study (CHS) and Korean version of FRAIL (K-FRAIL) criteria, as well as geriatric conditions. We recruited 382 adults (98% of eligible adults; mean age: 74 years; 56% women). Generally, sociodemographic characteristics were similar to those of the general rural Korean population. Common geriatric conditions included instrumental activity of daily living disability (39%), malnutrition risk (38%), cognitive dysfunction (33%), multimorbidity (32%), and sarcopenia (28%), while dismobility (8%), incontinence (8%), and polypharmacy (3%) were less common conditions. While more individuals were classified as frail according to the K-FRAIL criteria (27%) than the CHS criteria (17%), the CHS criteria were more strongly associated with prevalent geriatric conditions. Older Koreans living in rural communities have a significant burden of frailty and geriatric conditions that increase the risk of functional decline, poor quality of life, and mortality. The current study provides a basis to guide public health professionals and policy-makers in prioritizing certain areas of care and designing effective public health interventions to promote healthy aging of this vulnerable population.
authors.affiliation: Graduate School of Medical Science and Engineering, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Daejeon, Korea .
authors.forename: Hee-Won
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-2583-3354
authors.initials: HW
authors.lastname: Jung
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Pyeongchang Health Center & County Hospital, Pyeongchang, Korea .
authors.forename: Il-Young
authors.identifier: 0000-0003-3617-3301
authors.initials: IY
authors.lastname: Jang
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea .
authors.forename: Young Soo
authors.identifier: 0000-0003-1278-4597
authors.initials: YS
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Department of Urology, Pyeongchang Health Center & County Hospital, Pyeongchang, Korea .
authors.forename: Chang Ki
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-6475-4675
authors.initials: CK
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Community Health Post, Pyeongchang Health Center & County Hospital, Pyeongchang, Korea .
authors.forename: Eun-Il
authors.identifier: 0000-0001-6290-3772
authors.initials: EI
authors.lastname: Cho
authors.affiliation: Community Health Post, Pyeongchang Health Center & County Hospital, Pyeongchang, Korea .
authors.forename: Woo Young
authors.identifier: 0000-0003-3888-8490
authors.initials: WY
authors.lastname: Kang
authors.affiliation: Manager of Public Health, Pyeongchang Health Center & County Hospital, Pyeongchang, Korea .
authors.forename: Jeoung Hee
authors.identifier: 0000-0001-5814-1250
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Chae
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea .
authors.forename: Eun Ju
authors.identifier: 0000-0003-4612-0625
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Division of Gerontology, Department of Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA .
authors.forename: Dae Hyun
authors.identifier: 0000-0001-7290-6838
authors.initials: DH
authors.lastname: Kim
mesh_terms: D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging; D001823:Body Composition; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003710:Demography; D006233:Persons with Disabilities; D005260:Female; D015577:Geriatric Assessment / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008297:Male; D015995:Prevalence; D011788:Quality of Life; D056910:Republic of Korea / Q000453:epidemiology; D012424:Rural Population; D055948:Sarcopenia / Q000453:epidemiology
keywords: Aged; Disability; Frailty; Geriatrics; Population Health; Sarcopenia