Frailty and Exercise Levels in Individuals Over the Age of 65

INTRODUCTION: The population of elderly people is increasing in the world and our country. Primary care is more preferred because it is easily accessible for elderly people. While multimorbidity and frailty status generally increase with aging, exercise levels decrease. In our study, it was aimed to investigate the relationship between the level of addiction and exercise rates in the elderly. METHODS: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted in Konya Karatay No.09 Family Health Center. The study consisted of 243 people aged 65 and over registered in the Family Medicine Unit. The individuals were asked about their socio-demographic characteristics, FRAIL scoring, and weekly exercise periods using the face-to-face interview method. RESULTS: The median age of the 243 people participating in the study was 72 (min; 65-max; 94), According to FRAIL scoring, 15.60% of them were frail. The physical activity level of 93.80% of the participants was insufficient. A significant difference was found between age groups regarding the physical activity level of the participants (p=0,009). A significant difference was found between the presence of multimorbidity and the distribution of FRAIL scoring regarding the physical activity level of the subjects (p≤0,001 for both). DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: Frailty is a manageable condition, and if individuals can be caught in the pre-frailty period, the better chances of cure will be possible. Family physicians should be aware of exercise in all individuals aged 65 and over, regardless of the reasons for the application.