Table 1 Operational definition of physical frailty phenotype
From: Physical frailty and its associated factors among elderly nursing home residents in China
Frailty Phenotype | Measurement | Men | Women |
|---|---|---|---|
Weakness | Grip strength [16] (stratified by sex and BMI [kg/m2], maximum value of either hand) | BMI ≤ 20.6: grip strength ≤25.2 kg BMI 20.6–23.2: grip strength ≤28.5 kg BMI 23.2–25.9: grip strength ≤30.0 kg BMI > 25.9: grip strength ≤30.0 kg | BMI ≤ 20.0: grip strength ≤15 kg BMI 20.0–22.1: grip strength ≤17.5 kg BMI 22.1–24.8: grip strength ≤17.8 kg BMI > 24.8: grip strength ≤20.0 kg |
Slowness | Walking speed (5 m) [16] (stratified by sex, averaged value of two repeated measurements) | Height ≤ 163 cm: ≥ 0.90 m/s Height > 163 cm: ≥ 0.96 m/s | Height ≤ 151 cm: ≥ 0.72 m/s Height > 151 cm: ≥ 0.86 m/s |
Low level of physical activity | Self-reported: Physical Activity Scale for the Elderly (9 items) | Score of physical activity per week < 56.4 points [18] | Score of physical activity per week < 58.8 points [18] |
Shrinking | Unintentional weight loss | In the last year, self-report of losing more than 5 kg unintentionally (i.e., not due to dieting or exercise) or unintentional weight loss of at least 5% of body weight | |
Exhaustion | Two items of the Center for Epidemiologic Studies-Depression Scale | a) I felt that everything I did was an effort. b) I could not get going. The question asked, “how often in the last week did you feel this way?” 0 = rarely or none of the time (< 1 day), 1 = some or a little of the time (1–2 days), 2 = a moderate amount of the time (3–4 days), or 3 = most of the time. Subjects answering “2” or “3” to either of these two questions were categorized as being exhausted. | |
Overall frailty status | Non-frail: 0 affected criteria; pre-frail: 1–2 affected criterion; frail: ≥ 3 affected criterion. | ||