Association between vulnerability, frailty and risk of falling in elderly people

Vulnerability and frailty are well-known fall risk factors in older people. However, whether both factors are associated has not been fully elucidated, and more current scientific evidence on this relationship is still lacking. The objective of this study was to analyze the relationship between vulnerability and fragility and the risk of being left behind. This is a cross-sectional study, a household survey of elderly people aged ≥ 60 years, carried out in two Family Health Units in the southwest of Bahia, with a sample of 218 elderly people. The instruments used were: Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE); sociodemographic questionnaire and health conditions; Edmonton Frailty Scale; Time Up and Go Test (TUGT) and the Vulnerability Scale/VES13. For data analysis, the Prevalence Ratio estimated by the Poisson regression model was used using the statistical software SPSS version 21.0. There was a significant association between the risk of falls and frailty (PR=1.06; CI=0.89-1.26; p<0.001), when the model was adjusted with the variables age group, MMSE and vulnerability. The risk of falling is directly related to frailty in older people, but not to vulnerability. Health care, such as physical activity, is needed to reduce the risk of falls.