Grant: Project Grant

Frailty is how vulnerable an individual is to either developing an illness, or dying if they develop an illness. Frailty increases with age. Frailty is becoming increasingly common because populations are ageing. We have already shown that low muscle strength (an important indicator of frailty), is closely related to developing illnesses and dying if an illness occurs. We need to understand what factors lead to people becoming frail, in order to develop ways to prevent frailty. This study will measure how often frailty develops and what factors put an individual at risk for becoming frail. We have already measured frailty (measured by low muscle strength, low activity levels, and unplanned weight loss) in 170,000 people from 25 countries around the world and have followed them for nearly 6 years. We propose to follow these individuals for another 3 years, when we will measure 1) how often those who are not frail become frail, 2) reasons why those who develop frailty do so, 3) the health consequences of becoming frail. Through this research, we will identify health targets that might protect people against becoming frail or protect against the negative effects of frailty.