Frailty phenotype measurements
| Frailty criteria | Method | Positive result |
|---|---|---|
| Weakness | Assessed with a grip strength dynamometer in the dominant hand, with the maximum of three attempts taken | Participants were judged to have weakness if maximum strength was in the lowest 20% of the distribution for their sex from the general population reference data from ELSA |
| Slow walking speed | Timed-up-and-go (TUG) test (participants instructed to stand from a seated position, walk 3 m, turn around, walk back and return to a seated position) | Slow speed defined as TUG greater than 12 s or an inability to walk |
| Unintentional weight loss | Height and weight measured | BMI <18.5 or >4.5kg/5% weight loss in 1 year compared to previous weight or self-reported >4.5kg/5% weight loss in 1 year if no previous weight documented |
| Exhaustion | Asked “in the past 6 months, how often do you feel fatigued or exhausted?” | Answered “most of the time” Other negative options were “not at all”, “rarely” and “some of the time” |
| Low physical activity | Asked “in the past 30 days, how often have you done physical activity for more than 10 minutes at a time?” Answered for mild, moderate and vigorous activity | Answered “hardly ever” for both moderate and vigorous activities Other negative options were “1-3 times a month”, “1 to 2 times a week” and “more than 3 times a week” |
| Frailty criteria | Method | Positive result |
|---|---|---|
| Weakness | Assessed with a grip strength dynamometer in the dominant hand, with the maximum of three attempts taken | Participants were judged to have weakness if maximum strength was in the lowest 20% of the distribution for their sex from the general population reference data from ELSA |
| Slow walking speed | Timed-up-and-go (TUG) test (participants instructed to stand from a seated position, walk 3 m, turn around, walk back and return to a seated position) | Slow speed defined as TUG greater than 12 s or an inability to walk |
| Unintentional weight loss | Height and weight measured | BMI <18.5 or >4.5kg/5% weight loss in 1 year compared to previous weight or self-reported >4.5kg/5% weight loss in 1 year if no previous weight documented |
| Exhaustion | Asked “in the past 6 months, how often do you feel fatigued or exhausted?” | Answered “most of the time” |
| Low physical activity | Asked “in the past 30 days, how often have you done physical activity for more than 10 minutes at a time?” Answered for mild, moderate and vigorous activity | Answered “hardly ever” for both moderate and vigorous activities |