Relationship between cognition and frailty-A cross-sectional study among elders in the tribal areas of Mysuru

Abstract Background Cognition declines as age advances. Frailty is a pre-disability state. cognitive impairment and frailty lower the quality of life of elders. studies done in this background were mostly in urban or rural areas. Hence the current study was conducted among elders in the tribal areas to find the relationship between cognition and frailty. Materials and methods It was a cross-sectional study done for a period of one year among 316 elders >60 years. Based on the reported prevalence of cognitive dysfunction among the elderly to be 25% (Rakesh M Patel et al), with 5% absolute allowable error,5% of alpha error, and 10% non-response rate) residing in the tribal areas of Mysuru. WHO-30 cluster sampling was used. MOCA-B was used for assessing cognition scale and the TFI scale was used for assessing frailty. Results The prevalence of cognitive impairment and frailty was 95.3 % and 61.4% respectively. Factors like Gender, education, type of family, physical, financial and emotional dependency, and preference of treatment were associated with cognition. There was also a significant association between cognition and frailty. Conclusion There was a higher prevalence of cognitive impairment among frail elders. Thus, early diagnosis and appropriate management are necessary for healthy ageing