Frailty Phenotype
- Administration time: 5 minutes
- Requires physical performance test
- Measures physical frailty
1. Sex
2. Body mass index
3. Weight loss
Has the person had unintentional weight loss >10 pounds or >5% body weight or BMI < 18.5 kg/m2 in last year?
4. Exhaustion
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“Did you feel that everything you did was an effort in the last week?”
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“Did you feel that you could not get going in the last week?”
5. Low physical activity
“Did you engage in any of the following physical activities in the past 2 weeks? If so, report frequency and duration in the table below.”
Click here if none of the activities occurred in the past 2 weeks
| Activity (MET score) | Sessions per week | Minutes per session |
|---|---|---|
| Walking (3.5) | ||
| Strenuous household chores (4.5) | ||
| Strenuous outdoor chores (4.5) | ||
| Dancing (5.5) | ||
| Bowling (3.0) | ||
| Exercise (4.5) |
6. Slowness
Measure time (seconds) to complete 4-meter (or 5-meter) walk in usual pace. Two trials are recommended (enter at least one trial).
7. Weakness
Measure grip strength (kg) using a hand dynamometer in the dominant hand. Three trials are recommended (enter at least one trial).
Key references
- Fried LP, Tangen CM, Walston J, Newman AB, Hirsch C, Gottdiener J, Seeman T, Tracy R, Kop WJ, Burke G, McBurnie MA; Cardiovascular Health Study Collaborative Research Group. Frailty in older adults: evidence for a phenotype. J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci. 2001 Mar;56(3):M146-56. doi: 10.1093/gerona/56.3.m146. PMID: 11253156.
- Bandeen-Roche K, Xue QL, Ferrucci L, Walston J, Guralnik JM, Chaves P, Zeger SL, Fried LP. Phenotype of frailty: characterization in the women's health and aging studies. J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci. 2006 Mar;61(3):262-6. doi: 10.1093/gerona/61.3.262. PMID: 16567375.
- Johns Hopkins University. Frailty Assessment Calculator. Available at: https://www.johnshopkinssolutions.com/solution/frailty/