Observational studyDeutsches Arzteblatt international2026
Regional Variation in the Prevalence of Frailty Among Very Old Adults in Germany: Findings of the Nationwide Study "Old Age in Germany" (D80+).
Observational study in Deutsches Arzteblatt international, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
3 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundFrailty is a key geriatric syndrome that determines the care of the affected old adults. The goal of this study is to quantify the prevalence and regional distribution of frailty among very old adults in Germany, on which no nationwide data have been available to date.
methodsWe analyzed data obtained by questionnaire from 9855 persons aged 80 and above in the nationwide D80+ survey. Frailty was operationalized with a frailty index (cutoff value: ≥0.25) encompassing 40 items. Its prevalence was estimated with logistic regression adjusted for age and sex. Socio-economic factors (education, income, type of residence) were additionally taken into account in an extended model.
resultsThe overall prevalence of frailty was 54.5% (95% confidence interval [53.2; 55,7]). Frail persons were more commonly female, widowed, living in a nursing or old-age home, and of lower socio-economic status. Regional variation was identified that persisted after the additional consideration of socio-economic factors and type of residence. The two federal states with the lowest prevalence were Bremen (42.6%) and Schleswig-Holstein (49.9%); those with the highest prevalence were Brandenburg (59.7%) and Saxony (60.8%).
conclusionFrailty is highly prevalent among very old adults in general, with regional disparities that imply an effect of region-specific factors. The awareness of regional variability and a better understanding of its causes can be used to inform future public health strategies and regional care planning.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.