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Cited by 267Frailty in Older AdultsAging and Gerontology ResearchInsurance, Mortality, Demography, Risk Management

Frailty Index as a Measure of Biological Age in a Chinese Population

Goggins, W. B., Woo, J., Sham, A., Ho, S. C.·2005·The Journals of Gerontology Series A: Biological Sciences and Medical Sciences
DOI 10.1093/gerona/60.8.1046
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Abstract

BACKGROUND: The concept of a frailty index, developed in Canadian elderly populations as an indicator of biological age as opposed to chronological age, was tested in an elderly Chinese population to determine whether it is applicable in a different ethnic and cultural setting. METHODS: A data set including 62 physical, psychological, and socioeconomic variables from a cohort of 2,032 persons 70 years and older (999 men, 1,033 women) was used. The distribution of the index was evaluated using the Cramer-von Mises goodness-of-fit test, and multiple linear regression was used to assess its relationship with age and sex. A biological age for each participant was calculated based on an inverse regression of age on mean frailty index and sex. The Cox proportional hazards regression model was used to assess the ability of biological age to predict death. RESULTS: The distribution of the frailty index most closely resembled a Weibull distribution. The frailty index increased with age until the mid-80s, when it leveled off, and was higher in women than men for each age group. The distribution of biological age is wider than that for chronological age, and it strongly predicted death. Women had an estimated 20% lesser chance of dying at a given time than did men of the same chronological age and degree of frailty. CONCLUSIONS: The study confirms the robustness of the concept and method of calculating the frailty index developed in elderly Canadian populations. It also suggests that the sex difference in life expectancy may have an underlying genetic basis independent of frailty.

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Crossref · 10.1093/gerona/60.8.1046

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  • The results yielded by the frailty index have been consistent between surveys evaluated by our group and by others even though not every frailty index considers the same deficits or number of deficits.

    “the results yielded by the frailty index have been consistent between surveys evaluated by our group [4-7] and by others [8-11] even though not every frailty index considers the same deficits, or even the same number of deficits.”

    From A standard procedure for creating a frailty index (2008) · cites this paper as [10]

  • It does not matter if study A considered 40 deficits from set X and study B considered 60 deficits from set Y; the estimates from each (e.g. rate of deficit accumulation, relationship with mortality, limit) appear to be similar.

    “it does not matter if study A considered 40 deficits from set X of deficits and study B considered 60 deficits from set Y of deficits; the estimates from each (e.g. the rate of deficit accumulation, the relationship between deficit accumulation and mortality, or the limit to deficit accumulation) appear to be similar.”

    From A standard procedure for creating a frailty index (2008) · cites this paper as [10]

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Authors
Goggins, W. B., Woo, J., Sham, A., & Ho, S. C.
Affiliations
Chinese University of Hong Kong (HK)
Corresponding author
Goggins, W. B.
ORCID
Venue
The Journals of Gerontology Series A: Biological Sciences and Medical Sciences
Publisher
Oxford University Press (OUP)
Published
2005-08-01
Volume
60
Issue
8
Pages
1046-1051
ISSN
  • 1079-5006 (ISSN-L)
  • 1758-535X
DOI
10.1093/gerona/60.8.1046
OpenAlex
W2149915437
Cited by
267
References
43
Citations by year
2026: 1 · 2025: 7 · 2024: 15 · 2023: 10 · 2022: 13 · 2021: 20 · 2020: 13 · 2019: 13 · 2018: 9 · 2017: 9 · 2016: 17 · 2015: 12 · 2014: 11 · 2013: 18 · 2012: 15
FWCI
5.90
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Locations
  • The Journals of Gerontology Series A (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Geriatrics and Gerontology › Frailty in Older Adults
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Neuropsychology and Physiological Psychology › Aging and Gerontology Research
  • Social Sciences › Demography › Insurance, Mortality, Demography, Risk Management
Keywords
frailty index, biological age, chronological age, older adults, Chinese population, sex differences in mortality, sex differences in longevity, mortality prediction, Weibull distribution, frailty
MeSH terms
Activities of Daily Living, Aged, Aged, 80 and over, Aging, Female, Hong Kong, Humans, Male, Mental Status Schedule, Socioeconomic Factors, Cohort Studies, Frail Elderly

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