FRéLE: Fragilité, une étude longitudinale de ses expressions [Frailty, a longitudinal study of its expressions]
The first objective of this research project will be to investigate the extent to which psychosocial and biological markers of frailty can be added to the five components of the Fried’s model of the frailty syndrome. The second objective of the project is to identify homogeneous subgroups of elderly persons, or profiles of frailty, that demonstrate a specific pattern of associations among a subset of the components of frailty and/or potential biological and psychosocial markers.
Objective 1a - The starting point for the first objective is a definition of frailty as a clinical syndrome based on the presence of the five Fried’s physiological components: unintentional weight loss, low muscle strength, poor physical performance, low physical activity, and feeling of exhaustion. The extent to which these five measures can be considered as components of a frailty syndrome will be examined.
Objective 1b – Components such as cognition and mood, and candidate psychosocial components will be added to the five Fried’s components and their inclusion in the frailty syndrome examined.
Objective 1c - Relationships between components of frailty can vary at different points in time. Trajectories of frailty will be identified using the biological, functional and psychosocial markers of profiles of frailty selected in the Objective 1a and 1b studies.
Objective 2a - In the study of predictors of frailty, the primary dependent variables are frailty trajectories. The primary predictors of frailty trajectories considered in this study are socio-economic status (SES), structural aspects of social network and positive and negative social support, self-efficacy and gender. Smoking, sleep patterns, lifelong physical exercise, and risk of energy and nutritional deficiencies will also be assessed.
Objective 2b - The consequences of frailty in terms of the Verbrugge & Jette model of disabilities will be examined. As in the Lebel et al. modeling of the frailty process, frailty will be considered as a modifier of pathways from pathology through functional limitations, disabilities and finally to death. These consequences are those usually considered in the examination of the validity of the components of frailty syndrome.
- Start Year
- 2010
- End Year
- 2013
- Supplementary Information
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Béland F, Michel H, La fragilité des personnes âgées : définitions, controverses et perspectives d’action, Rennes, Presses de l’EHESP, 2013.
Béland F, Michel H, Explorer la fragilité : d’un syndrome gériatrique à une notion polymorphe? Pp 7-30 in Béland F, Michel H, La fragilité des personnes âgées : définitions, controverses et perspectives d’action, Rennes, Presses de l’EHESP, 2013.
Galand C Béland F, Fletcher J, FRéLE : une étude québécois sur la fragilité, pp177-204, in Béland F, Michel H, La fragilité des personnes âgées : définitions, controverses et perspectives d’action, Rennes, Presses de l’EHESP, 2013.
Visit FRéLE
| Investigators | Contacts |
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Design
- Study design
- Cohort
- Follow Up
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Three year longitudinal study (T0, T1, and T2), with face-to face measurement at a 1-year interval, and six-month phone interview (T0.5, T1.5)
- Supplementary Information
Marker Paper
Galand, C., Béland, F., & Fletcher, J. (2012). FRÉLE: Fragilité, une étude longitudinale de ses expressions. Rapport descriptif sur les données obtenues durant les entrevues face-à-face au temps « TO ». Publications Solidage.
Recruitment
- Recruitment Target
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- Individuals
Number of Participants
- Number of Participants
- 1,643
- Number of Participants with Biological Samples
Access
Availability of data and biosamples
| Possible Access to Data | |
| Possible Access to Biosamples | |
| Other |
Timeline
Older adults
Older adults aged 65 years and older
Selection Criteria
- Minimum age
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65
- Newborns
- Twins
- Countries
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- Canada
- Territory
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Montréal, Sherbrooke, Victioriaville
- Ethnic Origin
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- Health Status
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- Other Criteria
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Living at home or apartment
Recruitment
- Sources of recruitment
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- General population
- General Population
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- Selected sample
- Supplementary Information
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Participants were drawn from the Régie de l’assurance-maladie du Québec (RAMQ)
- Participants from Existing Studies
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Number of Participants
- Number of Participants
- 1,643
- Number of Participants with Biological Samples
Data Collection Events
| # | Name | Description | Start | End |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 |
T0
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Face-to-face interviews carried out by health professionals in participant’s dwelling. |
2010-02 | 2010-08 |
| 1 |
T1
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Face-to-face interviews carried out by health professionals in participant’s dwelling. |
2011-02 | 2011-08 |
| 2 |
T2
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Face-to-face interviews carried out by health professionals in participant’s dwelling. |
2012-02 | 2012-08 |
Classifications
- Socio-demographic and economic characteristics
- Lifestyle and behaviours
- Birth, pregnancy and reproductive health history
- Perception of health, quality of life, development and functional limitations
- Diseases
- Symptoms and signs
- Medication and supplements
- Non-pharmacological interventions
- Health and community care services utilization
- Death
- Physical measures and assessments
- Laboratory measures
- Cognition, personality and psychological measures and assessments
- Life events, life plans, beliefs and values
- Preschool, school and work life
- Social environment and relationships
- Physical environment
- Administrative information
- Cognitive functioning
- Personality
- Psychological distress and emotions
- Other psychological measures and assessments
- Perception of health
- Quality of life
- Life course development
- Functional limitations
- Other perception of health, quality of life and functional limitation-related information
- Tobacco
- Alcohol
- Drugs
- Nutrition
- Breastfeeding
- Physical activity
- Sleep
- Sexual behaviours and orientation
- Technological devices
- Misbehaviour and criminality
- Other and unspecified lifestyle information
Socio-demographic and economic characteristics
Lifestyle and behaviours
Perception of health, quality of life, development and functional limitations
Diseases
Symptoms and signs
Medication and supplements
Physical measures and assessments
Cognition, personality and psychological measures and assessments
Life events, life plans, beliefs and values
Social environment and relationships
Administrative information
Cognitive functioning
Psychological distress and emotions
Quality of life
Functional limitations
Nutrition
Physical activity