Approved Research

Frailty and disease risk, expression, and outcomes across the adult lifespan

Lay summary

Background/scientific rationale: Frailty is an ageing-related condition that increases people's risk of a range of negative health outcomes, such as dementia, functional impairment, more frequent hospital admissions, and death. Although researchers have studied frailty extensively in older adults, more information is needed in certain domains. In addition, some health conditions experienced by younger adults might lead to the development of frailty earlier in life, but frailty has not yet been explored in those circumstances.

Aims: This research project seeks to answer several questions relating to the relationships between frailty, health and function, including: What are the mechanisms linking frailty with the development of dementia in older adults? Can measuring frailty improve our understanding of the health problems experienced by younger adults living with complex health conditions, such as severe mental illness? And do environmental, lifestyle, health, and genetic factors impact the answers to these questions?

Project duration: The project is expected to last 36 months. We will answer the more straightforward questions within the first 12 months (for example, whether frailty is higher for people who are living with severe mental illness than it is for other people) and more complex questions over the subsequent 24 months (for example, questions that focus on linking the development of frailty with the risk of certain health events/outcomes that occur over time, such as the onset of dementia).

Public health impact: The expected value of this research includes improving knowledge on dementia prevention strategies, extending the application of frailty to complex health conditions seen in younger people, and informing the design of new frailty-based interventions aimed at improving health and quality of life across the lifespan.