Grant: Travel Awards - Institute Community Support

As the proportion of older adults in the population grows, cardiovascular disease (CVD) is likely to become more prevalent, making efforts to find more effective means of assessing CVD risk in this population critical. A suggested method of improving CVD risk management is the addition of frailty assessments as vital signs. Frailty is characterized as having a lack of reserve for tolerating health stressors and this syndrome has been shown to be a predictor of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality in the elderly. With an aging population, frailty will become an increasing challenge for the healthcare needs of the populace. Frailty is known to increase risk for cardiovascular disease, but less is known about the mechanisms linking frailty and these adverse cardiovascular outcomes. Identifying the cardiovascular disease risk profile associated with frail older adults is necessary in order to better understand the mechanisms involved in this complex syndrome. The purpose of my thesis is to perform a cross-sectional examination of baseline data collected on 1000 women 55 years of age or older who were screened using a CVD risk assessment protocol in order to examine differences in cardiovascular risk profile between frailty groups. This identification could assist with the design of assessments and interventions to mitigate CVD risk in this at-risk group.