Original Scientific Articles
Authors
Introduction: Frailty is common in elderly persons and carries a high risk of poor health outcomes, including increased mortality, institutionalization, falls, and hospitalization. The aim of the work was to determine the risk factors for frailty in elderly persons.
Methods: The research was conducted in Bijeljina and Foča, in the period from February to June 2022, and was approved by the Ethics Committee of the Faculty of Medicine in Foča. A total of 243 respondents over the age of 65 took part in the research. When it comes to the instruments, the sociodemographic questionnaire, the EQ-5D-5L health questionnaire, the general sarcopenia rapid screening questionnaire SARC-F and the Kessler scale for the assessment of psychological distress were used.
Results: There were 43.6% of males and 56.4% of females participating in the research. One quarter (25%) of respondents evaluated their health as weak. Sarcopenia was identified in 28% of respondents, while 18.1% had a moderate and 11.9% a serious disorder in the field of psychological distress.
Conclusion: The presence of psychological distress and sarcopenia in a high percentage, as well as weak health status in the people over 65, is evident, which represents potential risk factors for frailty.
Keywords: frailty, sarcopenia, elderly people, assessment
How to Cite: Hadživuković, N. , Pavlović, J. , Živanović, S. , Matović, S. , Mašić, S. , Spaić, D. , Kalajdžić, O. , Kucurski, L. & Despotović, M. (2023) “Risk factors for the emergence of frailty in elderly persons in Bosnia and Herzegovina”, Biomedicinska istraživanja. 14(2). doi: https://doi.org/10.59137/BII202302327H