Table 1.
Characteristic | Definition | Inclusion criteria |
---|---|---|
Weight loss | Self-reported weight loss. | Those who lost more than 10l bs (or 4.5 kg) in the last year. |
Exhaustion | ‘How often in the last week did you feel that (a) everything you did was effort or (b) you could not get going?’ | Those who reported 3 or more days in the last week for either or both. |
Low Physical Activity | Measured using the PASE Questionnaire.22 | Those in the lowest quintile of physical activity stratified by sex: |
Male PASE score ⩽96.32 | ||
Female PASE score ⩽75.00 | ||
Weakness | Measurement of handgrip strength using a Jamar Plus digital hand-held dynamometer. The average of 3 readings from the hand with the highest handgrip value was recorded. | Those in the lowest quintile of grip strength stratified by sex and BMI: |
Male | ||
⩽22.14 kg for BMI ⩽25.7 kg/m2 | ||
⩽29.40 kg for BMI 25.8-28.2 kg/m2 | ||
⩽23.54 kg for BMI 28.3-30.2 kg/m2 | ||
⩽22.0 kg for BMI >30.2 kg/m2 | ||
Female | ||
⩽16.60 kg for BMI ⩽25.3 kg/m2 | ||
⩽15.38 kg for BMI 25.4-28.6 kg/m2 | ||
⩽16.08 kg for BMI 28.7-31.6 kg/m2 | ||
⩽13.14 kg for BMI of >31.6 kg/m2 | ||
Slowness | Measurement of time to walk 15 ft. Average time from 2 trials with 1.5 and 1 m allowed for acceleration and deceleration, respectively, was used. | Those in the slowest quintile of walking speed stratified by sex and height: |
Male | ||
Walking time ⩾4.57 s for height ⩽173.0 cm | ||
Walking time ⩾3.90 s for height >173.0 cm | ||
Female | ||
Walking time ⩾5.02 s for height ⩽158.0 cm | ||
Walking time ⩾3.94 s for height >158.0 cm | ||
Classification: | ||
0 positive criteria = non-frail | ||
1-2 positive criteria = pre-frail | ||
⩾3 positive criteria = frail |
Abbreviations: BMI: body mass index; PASE: physical activity scale for the elderly.