Prevalence and Sociodemographic Correlates of Frailty among Older Adults in Sikkim, India: A Community-based Cross-sectional Study.

Authors

Champa Sharma, Elsa Sanatombi Devi, Samrat Singh Bhandari, Shreemathi S Mayya, Pranita Sharma

Published in

Indian journal of public health. Volume 70. Issue 2. Pages 243-246. Apr 01, 2026. Epub Jun 19, 2026.

Abstract

India is experiencing rapid population ageing, resulting in an increasing burden of frailty among older adults. Frailty is a multidimensional geriatric syndrome associated with adverse health outcomes, increased healthcare utilization, and mortality. Evidence from northeastern India, particularly Sikkim, remains limited. To estimate the prevalence of frailty syndrome and examine its sociodemographic correlates among community-dwelling older adults in urban and rural areas of Sikkim, India. A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted over one year among 530 older adults aged ≥60 years residing in selected urban and rural communities of Sikkim. Participants were recruited using stratified snowball sampling. Sociodemographic and lifestyle data were collected using a semi-structured validated questionnaire. Frailty was assessed using the nine-point Clinical Frailty Scale (2009 version). Frailty syndrome was defined as scores of 6-9. Data were analysed using Jamovi version 2.6.6. Descriptive statistics and multivariable logistic regression were used to identify factors associated with frailty. The mean age of participants was 75.1 ± 7.1 years. Overall, 274 (51.6%) participants were classified as frail. Among them, 20.5% were moderately frail, 13.2% severely frail, 10.1% very severely frail, and 7.7% were terminally ill. Increasing age, divorced or separated marital status, physical inactivity, not working beyond 60 years, living in a nuclear family, and absence of comorbidities were independently associated with frailty. Sex, number of children, and place of residence were not significantly associated. Frailty is highly prevalent among older adults in Sikkim and is influenced by key sociodemographic and lifestyle factors. These findings highlight the need for early screening and targeted community-based interventions to address frailty in ageing populations.

PMID:
42330230
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 23 Jun 2026.

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