Frailty affects nearly half of adults 50 and older in Türkiye
Researchers classified 33.7% as having intermediate frailty and 14.8% as having severe frailty, compared with 51.4% in the least-impaired group.
Limit: Excluding 2,880 respondents with missing memory responses could distort frailty prevalence
Edited by Boris Djordjevic · AgingResearch.News
A cross-sectional observational study analyzed 2023 survey data from 26,905 men and women aged 50 and older living in private households in Türkiye. Researchers used a statistical method to group participants by eight measures covering movement, senses, memory, learning and independence in daily activities. They identified three groups with minimal, intermediate or severe difficulties across these areas.
Severe frailty was more common among women than men (20.0% versus 9.1%). It was also more common among adults aged 65 and older than those aged 50–64 (24.7% versus 8.9%). Poor or very poor self-rated health was strongly associated with severe frailty.
Why it matters
The study addressed how difficulties in different areas of functioning cluster in aging populations. The authors highlighted the importance of assessing movement, senses, thinking and daily functioning together.
Caveats
The cross-sectional survey relied on reported difficulties and could not establish causes or track decline over time. It covered private-household residents only and excluded 2,880 respondents with missing memory responses.
The paper
Acıbadem University
PLOS One, Jun 26, 2026, Open access
