Cross-Cultural Adaptation and Validation of the FRAIL Scale to Assess Frailty in Mexican Adults

Abstract

Objectives: The objectives of this study were to cross-culturally adapt and validate the FRAIL scale in Mexican community-dwelling adults.

Design: Cross-sectional analysis of a prospective cohort.

Setting: The FraDysMex study, a 2-round evaluation of community-dwelling adults from 2 municipalities in Mexico City.

Participants: Participants were 606 men and women living in the designated area in Mexico City.

Measurements: Interviewers obtained data regarding demographics, comorbidities, mental status, nutritional status, dependency in activities of daily living, quality of life, mobility, balance, and strength. The FRAIL scale translated to Spanish and the Fried criteria were applied to screen frailty.

Results: The Mexican Spanish version of the FRAIL scale showed internal consistency (4 of 5 items in the scale correlated to the scale's total score, rho = 0.41-0.74), external consistency (interrater correlation CCI = 0.82), known-group validity based on age (9.6% of frailty in persons ≥50 years × 3.2% in persons <50 years, P = .001), convergent validity with the Fried criteria (CCI = 0.63), and the scale was also correlated with other measures related to frailty (such as age, quality of life, self-rated health status, cognition, dependency, nutritional status, depression, and physical performance).

Conclusion: The FRAIL scale was successfully adapted to Mexican Spanish and validated in community-dwelling Mexican adults.

Keywords: FRAIL scale; Frailty; older people; validation.