Prevalence and factors associated with frailty and pre-frailty in the older adults in China: a national cross-sectional study

Frailty and pre-frailty are very common among older adults in China and differ significantly between southern and northern China, men and women, and rural and urban areas. Appropriate public health prevention strategies should be developed based on identified risk factors in frail and pre-frail populations. The management of frailty and pre-frailty should be optimised according to regional and gender differences in prevalence and associated factors, such as strengthening the integrated management of chronic diseases, increasing reimbursement rates for medical costs, and focusing on vulnerable groups such as the disabled, economically disadvantaged, living alone and those with low literacy levels, in order to reduce the burden of frailty among older adults in China.