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The Validity of the Sunfrail Tool: A Cross-Sectional Study Among Dutch Community-Dwelling Older People

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Abstract

Background

Early detection of frail older people is important. Timely intervention may allow health care professionals to prevent or delay the occurrence of adverse outcomes such as disability, increases in health care utilization, and premature death.

Objectives

We assessed the construct and criterion validity of the SUNFRAIL tool, a questionnaire for measuring frailty among older people.

Design, Setting and Participants

This cross-sectional study was carried out in a sample of Dutch citizens. A total of 195 community-dwelling persons aged 71 years and older completed the questionnaire.

Measurements

Construct validity was examined by determining the correlation between the SUNFRAIL tool and the Tilburg Frailty Indicator (TFI). Criterion validity for the SUNFRAIL tool was determined by establishing the correlations with chronic diseases and adverse outcomes of frailty (disability, falls, indicators of health care utilization). Disability was measured using the Groningen Activity Restriction Scale. Participants also answered questions regarding falls and health care utilization.

Results

The construct validity of this tool was good and showed significant correlations with the TFI. The correlation between SUNFRAIL total and TFI total was 0.624. The criterion validity of the SUNFRAIL tool was good for chronic diseases and good-to-excellent for adverse outcomes disability, receiving nursing care, and falls. The area under the curve for these outcomes was 0.840 (95% CI 0.781–0.899), 0.782 (95% CI 0.696–0.868), and 0.769 (95% CI 0.686–0.859), respectively.

Conclusions

The results of our study suggest that the SUNFRAIL tool is a valid instrument for assessing frailty in community-dwelling older people. It is an attractive instrument for use in practice because it takes little time for health care professionals and older people to complete the questionnaire, and it expresses the integral functioning of human beings.

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Acknowledgements

Authors would like to thank Inge Renne for her support of the data collection.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Health, Sports and Social Work, Inholland University of Applied Sciences, De Boelelaan 1109, 1081 HV, Amsterdam, the Netherlands

    Robbert J. J. Gobbens

  2. Zonnehuisgroep Amstelland, Amstelveen, the Netherlands

    Robbert J. J. Gobbens

  3. Department of Primary and Interdisciplinary Care, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium

    Robbert J. J. Gobbens

  4. Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Parma, Parma, Italy

    M. Maggio

  5. Medicine-Geriatric-Rehabilitation Department, University-Hospital of Parma, Parma, Italy

    M. Maggio

  6. Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Parma, Parma, Italy

    Y. Longobucco

  7. Public Health Agency of the Emilia Romagna Region, Bologna, Italy

    M. Barbolini

Authors
  1. Robbert J. J. Gobbens
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  2. M. Maggio
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  3. Y. Longobucco
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  4. M. Barbolini
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Robbert J. J. Gobbens.

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Conflict of interest: None declared

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Appendix

The SUNFRAIL tool

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Gobbens, R.J.J., Maggio, M., Longobucco, Y. et al. The Validity of the Sunfrail Tool: A Cross-Sectional Study Among Dutch Community-Dwelling Older People. J Frailty Aging 9, 219–225 (2020). https://doi.org/10.14283/jfa.2020.4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.14283/jfa.2020.4

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