Dimensions underlying frailty indicators in the Kihon Checklist

Area of Science:

• Gerontology
• Geriatric Medicine
• Public Health

Background:

• Frailty is a critical concept in geriatric care.
• The Kihon Checklist (KCL) is a tool for measuring frailty.
• The dimensional structure of the KCL has not been previously validated.

Purpose of the Study:

• To validate the dimensional structure of the Kihon Checklist (KCL).
• To assess the reliability and validity of the Spanish version of the KCL.

Main Methods:

• Cross-sectional study conducted in Valencia province, Spain (March-September 2018).
• 251 community-dwelling older adults participated voluntarily.
• Participants completed sociodemographic and medical indicators, and five frailty scales, including the KCL.

Main Results:

• Confirmatory factor analyses tested five models; none initially fit well.
• A depurated one-factor model with 15 items showed the best fit.
• The reduced KCL model exhibited excellent internal consistency and criterion-related validity.

Conclusions:

• This is the first study examining the KCL's dimensionality and validating its Spanish version.
• The depurated KCL provides a reliable and valid measure of frailty for Spanish-speaking populations.
• The findings support the KCL's utility in clinical care for older adults in Spanish-speaking countries.