Prevalence of frailty at population level in European ADVANTAGE Joint Action Member States: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors
Rónán O’Caoimh, Lucia Galluzzo, Ángel Rodríguez-Laso, Johan Van der Heyden, Anette Hylen Ranhoff, Maria Lamprini-Koula, Marius Ciutan, Luz López Samaniego, Laure Carcaillon-Bentata, Siobhán Kennelly, Aaron Liew, on behalf of Work Package 5 of the Joint on behalf of Work Package 5 of the Joint Action ADVANTAGE
Abstract
Introduction. Although frailty is common among community-dwelling older adults, its prevalence in Europe and how this varies between countries is unclear. Methods. A systematic review and meta-analysis of literature on frailty prevalence in 22 European countries involved in the Joint Action ADVANTAGE was conducted. Results. Sixty-two papers, representing 68 unique datasets were included. Meta-analysis showed an overall estimated frailty prevalence of 18% (95% confidence interval, CI, 15- 21%). The prevalence in community (n = 53) vs non-community based studies (n = 15) was 12% (95% CI 10-15%) and 45% (95% CI 27-63%), respectively. Pooled prevalence in community studies adopting a physical phenotype was 12% (95% CI 10-14%, n = 45) vs 16% (95% CI 7-29%, n = 8) for all other definitions. Sub-analysis of a subgroup of studies assessed as high-quality (n = 47) gave a pooled estimate of 17% (95% CI 13-21%). Conclusions. The considerable and significant heterogeneity found warrants the development of common methodological approaches to provide accurate and comparable frailty prevalence estimates at population-level.
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