Prevalence of Social Frailty and Pre-Frailty in Asian Older Adults A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

PURPOSE: To synthesize the pooled estimate of the overall incidence of social frailty (SF) and pre-frailty, as well as the prevalence of SF based on sex, country, participant type, and assessment tool used. 

METHOD: This systematic review and meta-analysis incorporated data from inception to December 2021 using six databases: PubMed, Embase, MEDLINE, CINAHL Plus, PsycINFO, and Cochrane Library. In addition to using a comprehensive set of medical subject headings and text phrases in Chinese and English, additional research was manually retrieved from reference lists. Calculations of the combined incidence of SF and pre-frailty were based on a random-effects model. Sources of heterogeneity were also verified through subgroup analysis. 

RESULTS: The literature search yielded 2,371 articles, with 17 articles included in the meta-analysis. The combined incidences of SF and pre-frailty were 18.9% (95% confidence interval [CI] [13.7, 24.1]) and 46.6% (95% CI [34.4, 58.7]), respectively. After subgroup analyses of SF, the combined prevalence was 21.6% (95% CI [12.9, 30.3]) in Japan, 19.4% (95% CI [13.2, 25.5]) among females, 25.1% (95% CI [9.1, 41.1]) with Makizako's 5-item SF questionnaire, and 66.5% (95% CI [63.9, 69.1]) among older adults with heart failure. 

CONCLUSION: SF and pre-frailty were prevalent in Asian older adults, especially in Japan, among females, with Makizako's 5-item SF questionnaire, and among older adults with heart failure.