Patterns of Frailty and Disability in Older Adults from China, Ghana, India, Mexico, Russia and South Africa

Richard Biritwum, Ghana Medical School
Nadia Minicuci, CNR-Neuroscience Institute
Alfred Yawson, University of Ghana
Elizabeth Thiele, Vassar College
Kirstin Sterner, University of Oregon
Geeta Eick, University of Oregon
Nirmala Naidoo, World Health Organization (WHO)

Frailty and disability are inter-related yet distinct conditions often more prevalent in older adulthood. The multi-country Study on global AGEing and adult health (SAGE) provides nationally representative samples of older adults (50+ years), and health and disability data in China, Ghana, India, Mexico, Russian Federation and South Africa (2007/10). Forty items were used for the frailty index. The 12-item WHODAS-2 was used for disability levels. China has the highest percentage (86.9%) of older adults without frailty (less than 0.2) and India the lowest (44.5%). The frailty index increases with age for all countries and it is higher for women, although the sex gap varies across countries. China also had the highest percentage with no disability (30.4%) and India the lowest (6.7%). With concerns about the compression or expansion of morbidity in older ages, this study provides a valuable source of data on frailty and disability in older populations.