title: Characteristics of physical prefrailty among Japanese healthy older adults.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of the present study was to clarify the characteristics of frailty at an early stage (prefrailty) in a healthy elderly Japanese population.
  
  
  METHODS
  The participants were 620 healthy older adults (age range 60-89 years) who were current students or graduates of a community college for older adults in Japan. All participants were evaluated using the Kihon Checklist, a tool developed to screen for frailty in Japan. The participants were categorized by the Fried criteria (lost weight, handgrip strength, walking speed, exhaustion, physical activity) into either a prefrailty (1-2 criteria) or a non-frailty (0 criterion) group.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In the logistic regression model for the prevalence of prefrailty, significant and independent determinants were chronic constipation (odds ratio [OR] 2.1, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.15-3.90, P = 0.016), occurrence of incontinence (OR 2.0, 95% CI 1.39-2.82, P < 0.001), unable to climb stairs (OR 3.0, 95% CI 1.26-7.02, P = 0.013), dry mouth (OR 1.5, 95% CI 1.04-2.22, P = 0.029), a lack of fulfillment (OR 3.2, 95% CI 1.26-7.93, P = 0.015), found easy tasks difficult (OR 2.8, 95% CI 1.30-5.85, P = 0.008) and felt helpless (OR 2.1, 95% CI 1.02-4.39, P = 0.044).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These results suggest that the appearance of autonomic failure, oral malfunction and some psychological factors in relation to depressed mood, but not anthropometric measurements, are characteristic of prefrailty. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2017; 17: 1568-1574.
authors.affiliation: School of Nutritional Sciences, Nagoya University of Arts and Sciences, Nisshin, Japan.|Department of Community Healthcare and Geriatrics, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya, Japan.
authors.forename: Eiji
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Matsushita
authors.affiliation: School of Nutritional Sciences, Nagoya University of Arts and Sciences, Nisshin, Japan.
authors.forename: Kiwako
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Okada
authors.affiliation: School of Nutritional Sciences, Nagoya University of Arts and Sciences, Nisshin, Japan.
authors.forename: Yui
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ito
authors.affiliation: Section of Frailty Prevention, Department of Frailty Research, Center for Gerontology and Social Science, National Center for Geriatrics and Gerontology, Obu, Japan.
authors.forename: Shosuke
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Satake
authors.affiliation: Department of Rehabilitation, Faculty of Health Science, Nihon Fukushi University, Handa, Japan.
authors.forename: Nariaki
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Shiraishi
authors.affiliation: Department of Comprehensive Community Medical Cooperation Center, Nagoya University Hospital, Nagoya, Japan.
authors.forename: Takahisa
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Hirose
authors.affiliation: Department of Community Healthcare and Geriatrics, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya, Japan.|Institution for Future Society, NAGOYA COI STREAM, Nagoya University, Nagoya, Japan.
authors.forename: Masafumi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kuzuya
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D057189:Checklist; D005221:Fatigue; D005260:Female; D016330:Frail Elderly; D000073496:Frailty / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology; D005684:Gait; D015577:Geriatric Assessment; D018737:Hand Strength; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010807:Physical Endurance; D015431:Weight Loss
keywords: chronic constipation; frailty; prefrailty; urinary incontinence