Clinical Frailty Scale and 12-month adverse health outcomes among community-dwelling older adults in Vietnam: a prospective cohort study
In brief
Severe frailty raises 12-month adverse events to 64% versus 10% in robust elders
In a Vietnamese cohort of 1,208 community-dwelling seniors, 31% had mild-to-moderate frailty and 1% severe frailty; over one-year, 23.6% experienced death, falls or hospitalization, climbing from 9.7% in robust individuals to 64.3% in those severely frail. Each one-point rise on the Clinical Frailty Scale nearly doubled the odds of an adverse outcome, suggesting the tool can flag older adults who need closer monitoring and preventive interventions.
- Journal
- Frontiers in medicine (Q1)
- Published
- 3 September 2026
- Study design
- Prospective / inception cohort
- Evidence level
- Level 2, Moderate (CEBM 2b)
- Authors
- Ha Bich Thi Trinh, Kien Gia To, Tan Van Nguyen
- PMID
- 42756028
- DOI
- 10.3389/fmed.2026.1910694
Why clinicians should know about it
- Picked for Family Practice (paper of the day, 22 September 2026): Frailty predicts adverse outcomes in older adults
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Frailty is an important predictor of adverse health outcomes in older adults, but evidence from community settings in Vietnam remains limited. This study examined the association between frailty and adverse health outcomes among community-dwelling older adults. METHODS: In this prospective cohort study, 1,208 community-dwelling older adults were assessed using the Clinical Frailty Scale (CFS) and followed for 12 months. The primary outcome was a composite of all-cause mortality, falls, and hospitalization. Multivariable logistic regression was used to evaluate the independent association between frailty and adverse outcomes. RESULTS: Of the participants, 59.9% were robust, 7.8% vulnerable, 31.2% had mild-to-moderate frailty, and 1.2% had severe frailty. During follow-up, 23.6% experienced at least one adverse outcome. Event rates increased progressively across frailty categories, from 9.7% in robust participants to 64.3% in those with severe frailty (P for trend <0.001). After adjustment for demographic characteristics, lifestyle factors, multimorbidity, polypharmacy, and cognitive impairment, frailty remained independently associated with adverse outcomes (adjusted OR per one-point increase in CFS: 1.88, 95% CI: 1.67-2.11; P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Frailty was highly prevalent and strongly associated with adverse health outcomes among community-dwelling older adults. These findings support the use of the Clinical Frailty Scale to identify community-dwelling older adults who may benefit from closer monitoring and targeted preventive care.
Abstract as published, via PubMed.
For healthcare professionals. The summary is generated by AI from the published abstract, and the evidence level is assigned automatically from the study design on the Oxford CEBM hierarchy. Neither is medical advice. Read the full paper before changing practice.