TABLE 2.
Frailty Index—operationalized definition
| Category | Item | Coding | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Basic Activities for Daily Living (6 Items) | Dressing and undressing | 0 = without help | 0.5 = with some help | 1 = completely unable | |
| Eating | 0 = without help | 0.5 = with some help | 1 = completely unable | ||
| Taking care of appearance | 0 = without help | 0.5 = with some help | 1 = completely unable | ||
| Walking | 0 = without help | 0.5 = with some help | 1 = completely unable | ||
| Getting in/out of bed | 0 = without help | 0.5 = with some help | 1 = completely unable | ||
| Trouble getting to the bathroom in time | 0 = No | 1 = Yes | |||
|
| |||||
| Instrumental Activities for Daily Living (7 Items) | Using the telephone | 0 = without help | 0.5 = with some help | 1 = completely unable | |
| Getting to places beyond walking distance | 0 = without help | 0.5 = with some help | 1 = completely unable | ||
| Going shopping for groceries of clothes | 0 = without help | 0.5 = with some help | 1 = completely unable | ||
| Preparing own meals | 0 = without help | 0.5 = with some help | 1 = completely unable | ||
| Doing housework | 0 = without help | 0.5 = with some help | 1 = completely unable | ||
| Taking medication | 0 = without help | 0.5 = with some help | 1 = completely unable | ||
| Handling money | 0 = without help | 0.5 = with some help | 1 = completely unable | ||
|
| |||||
| Quality of Life (6 Items) | Physical Health | 0 = Excellent | 0.33 = Good | 0.66 = Fair | 1 = Poor |
| Energy | 0 = Excellent | 0.33 = Good | 0.66 = Fair | 1 = Poor | |
| Mood | 0 = Excellent | 0.33 = Good | 0.66 = Fair | 1 = Poor | |
| Memory | 0 = Excellent | 0.33 = Good | 0.66 = Fair | 1 = Poor | |
| Ability to do chores around the house | 0 = Excellent | 0.33 = Good | 0.66 = Fair | 1 = Poor | |
| Ability to do things for fun | 0 = Excellent | 0.33 = Good | 0.66 = Fair | 1 = Poor | |
|
| |||||
| Clinical Assessment (61 Items) | Unintentional weight loss | 0 = No | 1 = Yes | ||
| Self-reported current health rating | 0 = Very Good | 0.25 = Good | 0.50 = Average | ||
| 0.75 = Poor | 1 = Very Poor | ||||
| Fatigue – everything an effort | 0 = Rarely or none of the time OR Some or a little of the time | ||||
| 1 = A moderate amount OR most of the time | |||||
| Fatigue – could not get going | 0 = Rarely or none of the time OR Some or a little of the time | ||||
| 1 = A moderate amount OR most of the time | |||||
| Falls in the past year | 0 = No | 1 = Yes | |||
| Self-report eyesight | 0 = Excellent | 0.25 = Very Good | 0.50 = Good | ||
| 0.75 = Fair | 1 = Poor or non-existent | ||||
| Self-report hearing | 0 = Excellent | 0.25 = Very Good | 0.50 = Good | ||
| 0.75 = Fair | 1 = Poor | ||||
| Self-report appetite | 0 = Very good | 0.33 = Good | 0.66 = Fair | 1 = Poor | |
| Coughing, choking, pain when swallowing | 0 = Never | 0.33 = Rarely | 0.66 = Sometimes | 1 = Often or always | |
| Self-report mouth health | 0 = Excellent | 0.25 = Very Good | 0.50 = Good | ||
| 0.75 = Fair | 1 = Poor | ||||
| Eating discomfort due to mouth problems | 0 = Never | 0.33 = Rarely | 0.66 = Sometimes | 1 = Often | |
| Avoid eating particular food due to mouth | 0 = Never | 0.33 = Rarely | 0.66 = Sometimes | 1 = Often or always | |
| Self-report sleep quality | 0 = Very good | 0.33 = Fairly good | 0.66 = Fairly bad | ||
| 1 = Very bad | |||||
| Polypharmacy | 0 = 0–4 medications | 0.5 = 5–7 medications | |||
| 1 = 8–13 medications | 2 = 14 or more medications | ||||
| Osteoarthritis | 0 = No | 1 = Yes | |||
| Rheumatoid arthritis | 0 = No | 1 = Yes | |||
| Other arthritis | 0 = No | 1 = Yes | |||
| Chronic respiratory condition | 0 = No | 1 = Yes | |||
| Shortness of breath | 0 = No | 1 = Yes | |||
| Sleep apnea | 0 = No | 1 = Yes | |||
| High blood pressure or hypertension | 0 = No | 1 = Yes | |||
| Angina or chest pain | 0 = No | 1 = Yes | |||
| Atrial fibrillation or irregular heart beat | 0 = No | 1 = Yes | |||
| Heart attack, congestive heart failure | 0 = No | 1 = Yes | |||
| Peripheral vascular disease | 0 = No | 1 = Yes | |||
| Hematologic disease | 0 = No | 1 = Yes | |||
| Stroke or CVA | 0 = No | 1 = Yes | |||
| Mini-stroke or TIA | 0 = No | 1 = Yes | |||
| Episodes of fainting | 0 = No | 1 = Yes | |||
| Type II diabetes | 0 = No | 0.5 = Borderline/high blood sugar | 1 = Type I or Type II diabetes | ||
| High cholesterol | 0 = No | 1 = Yes | |||
| Hypothyroidism | 0 = No | 1 = Yes | |||
| Hyperthyroidism | 0 = No | 1 = Yes | |||
| Osteoporosis | 0 = No | 1 = Yes | |||
| Stomach ulcers | 0 = No | 1 = Yes | |||
| Inflammatory bowel disease | 0 = No | 1 = Yes | |||
| Celiac disease | 0 = No | 1 = Yes | |||
| Chronic constipation | 0 = No | 1 = Yes | |||
| Bowel incontinence | 0 = No | 1 = Yes | |||
| Urinary incontinence | 0 = No | 1 = Yes | |||
| Cataracts | 0 = No | 1 = Yes | |||
| Glaucoma | 0 = No | 1 = Yes | |||
| Macular degeneration | 0 = No | 1 = Yes | |||
| Cancer | 0 = No | 1 = Yes | |||
| Psoriasis | 0 = No | 1 = Yes | |||
| Kidney disease | 0 = No | 1 = Yes | |||
| Liver disease | 0 = No | 1 = Yes | |||
| Hepatitis | 0 = No | 1 = Yes | |||
| HIV | 0 = No | 1 = Yes | |||
| Major depressive disorder | 0 = No | 1 = Yes | |||
| Bipolar disorder | 0 = No | 1 = Yes | |||
| Other mood disorder | 0 = No | 1 = Yes | |||
| Generalized anxiety disorder | 0 = No | 1 = Yes | |||
| Phobic disorder | 0 = No | 1 = Yes | |||
| Obsessive compulsive disorder | 0 = No | 1 = Yes | |||
| Panic disorder | 0 = No | 1 = Yes | |||
| Post-traumatic stress disorder | 0 = No | 1 = Yes | |||
| Schizophrenia | 0 = No | 1 = Yes | |||
| Suicide attempt | 0 = No | 1 = Yes | |||
| Hip replacement | 0 = No | 1 = Yes | |||
| Knee replacement | 0 = No | 1 = Yes | |||
|
| |||||
| Low Activity (1 Item) | Physical activity (PASE Score) | 0 = Score ≥64 for men or ≥52 for women | |||
| 1 = Score <64 for men or <52 for women | |||||
|
| |||||
| Scoring | Frailty Index = Proportion of health deficits present in an individual out of the total number of age-related health variables considered | ||||
| Frailty Index = Total Health Deficits Score / 81 Variables Considered | |||||
| Frailty Index | Frail: ≥ 0.25 | ||||
| Pre-frail: 0.09–0.24 | |||||
| Robust: ≤ 0.08 | |||||