Table 1.
Health deficits included in the frailty index and their coding.
| Variable | Values | Mean† |
| Health problems before age 10 | ||
| 1. Tuberculosis | Yes = 1, No = 0 | 0.009 |
| 2. Rheumatic fever | Yes = 1, No = 0 | 0.015 |
| 3. Poliomyelitis | Yes = 1, No = 0 | 0.007 |
| 4. Typhoid fever | Yes = 1, No = 0 | 0.007 |
| 5. Serious head injury | Yes = 1, No = 0 | 0.049 |
| 6. Serious heath problem lasting at least one month | Yes = 1, No = 0 | 0.125 |
| General Health | ||
| 7. Poor self-assessed health | Poor = 1, Fair = .75, Good = .5, Very Good = .25, Excellent = 0 | 0.049 |
| Medically diagnosed conditions | ||
| 8. High blood pressure | Yes = 1, No = 0 | 0.438 |
| 9. Diabetes mellitus | Yes = 1, No = 0 | 0.179 |
| 10. Cancer | Yes = 1, No = 0 | 0.014 |
| 11. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease | Yes = 1, No = 0 | 0.087 |
| 12. Heart attack | Yes = 1, No = 0 | 0.052 |
| 13. Stroke | Yes = 1, No = 0 | 0.039 |
| 14. Arthritis/Rheumatism | Yes = 1, No = 0 | 0.274 |
| Other health problems | ||
| 15. Falls in the past two years | Yes = 1, No = 0 | 0.432 |
| 16. Fractures after age 50 | Yes = 1, No = 0 | 0.178 |
| 17. Vision problems | Legally blind = 1, Poor = .8, Fair = .6, Good = .4, Very Good = .2, Excellent = 0 |
0.503 |
| 18. Hearing problems | Legally deaf = 1, Poor = .8, Fair = .6, Good = .4, Very Good = .2, Excellent = 0 |
0.441 |
| Medical symptoms during the past 2 years | ||
| 19. Severe fatigue | Yes = 1, No = 0 | 0.285 |
| 20. Panting, cough or phlegm | Yes = 1, No = 0 | 0.236 |
| 21. Involuntary urine loss | Yes = 1, No = 0 | 0.107 |
| 22. Leg pain on walking | Yes = 1, No = 0 | 0.476 |
| 23. Stomach pain, indigestion or diarrhea | Yes = 1, No = 0 | 0.214 |
| 24. Bodily pain | Frequent and severe = 1, Frequent and moderate = 2/3, Frequent and Mild = 1/3, Not frequent = 0 | 0.298 |
| 25. Depressive symptoms | One ninth for each positive answer if the participant felt: depressed, unhappy, lonely, tired, sad, did not enjoy life, had no energy, restless sleep, or thought that everything did was an effort. 0 = none of the above present | 0.427 |
| Activities of daily living | ||
| 26. Difficulty with mobility | One fourth for positive answer if the participant had difficulty: picking up a 1-peso coin from the table, dressing including putting on shoes and socks, walking several blocks, walking across a room. 0 = none of the above | 0.233 |
| 27. Difficulty with taking a shower | Yes = 1, No = 0 | 0.105 |
| 28. Difficulty with eating | Yes = 1, No = 0 | 0.119 |
| 29. Difficulty with getting in and out of bed | Yes = 1, No = 0 | 0.074 |
| 30. Difficulty with going to the toilet | Yes = 1, No = 0 | 0.033 |
| Instrumental activities of daily living | ||
| 31. Difficulty with meal preparation | Yes = 1, No = 0 | 0.083 |
| 32. Difficulty with shopping | Yes = 1, No = 0 | 0.065 |
| 33. Difficulty with taking medications | Yes = 1, No = 0 | 0.051 |
| 34. Difficulty with handling own finances | Yes = 1, No = 0 | 0.054 |
† Point estimate for the older Mexican adults aged 65 and plus