Frailty in the Old Age as a Direct Marker of Quality of Life and Health: Gender Differences

Aging of the population emphasizes the need for research on aging-related problems, among which frailty is a key element because of its clinical as well as social implications. After a review of empirical research of frailty in old adults, the objective of this research is fourfold: (1) assess the adequacy of a comprehensive index of frailty; (2) test for the effects of different socioeconomic and anthropometric variables of an index of frailty; (3) study the effect of frailty on quality of life and general health; and (4) prove grounds for potential gender differences in all these concepts surrounding frailty as well as in frailty itself. This study relies on data from the SHARE project at wave 6, with a total of 4498 Spain-dwelling people aged 60 or older (M = 73.56, SD = 8.89), of which 46.1% were male and 53.9% were female. Statistical analyses included Confirmatory Factor Analysis and Full Structural Equation Models with multi-group comparison based upon gender. Results provide evidence of adequacy for this measure of frailty. Evidence shows how different variables have an impact on frailty, which further affects quality of life and health. Finally, gender differences are studied and discussed with previous literature. We conclude that results are consistent with previous literature on frailty in old people. Limitations and future research needs are also presented.