Validity of the Kihon Checklist for assessing frailty status

Aim The Kihon Checklist is extensively used in Japan to identify elderly persons who are at risk of requiring support/care. We aimed to determine whether or not the Kihon Checklist can estimate frailty status defined by the Cardiovascular Health Study criteria. Methods This cross‐sectional study evaluated the Kihon Checklist and activities of daily living based on self‐records maintained with the assistance of nurses in a convenience sample of 164 elderly outpatients who lived without care or support. Body composition was measured using dual energy X‐ray absorptiometry. Physical functions, nutritional status, cognitive function and depressive mood were assessed using standardized evaluations. Frailty status was evaluated using the Cardiovascular Health Study frailty criteria. Results The total Kihon Checklist score closely correlated with validated assessments of physical functions, nutritional state, cognitive function, depressive mood and the number of frailty phenotypes defined by the Cardiovascular Health Study criteria (ρ = 0.655, P