Association of Frailty Status and Functional Disability among Community-Dwelling People Aged 80 and Older in Vietnam.

OBJECTIVES: This study investigated associations between frailty and functional disability in elder suburban Vietnamese. METHOD: Cross-sectional analysis was carried out on 251 participants aged 80 and over in Soc Son district. We used the Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADL) scale including 8 items, and functional disability was defined as ≥3 IADL impairment. We defined frail as ≥3 out of 5 frailty components including weight loss > 5%, weak grip, exhaustion, low walking speed, and low physical activity. RESULTS: Of 251 participants with a mean age of 84.6, 11.2% was classified as frail and 64.5% had ≥3 IADLs. Among the frailty components, low walking speed and low physical activity were significantly associated with increased odds of having ≥3 IADLs: ORs (95% CI) were 4.2 (2.3-7.9) and 3.7 (1.7-8.2). CONCLUSION: Frailty is associated with the higher likelihood of having functional disability. Further longitudinal studies are needed to examine the causal this relationship.

Advancing family dementia caregiver interventions in low- and middle-income countries: A pilot cluster randomized controlled trial of Resources for Advancing Alzheimer's Caregiver Health in Vietnam (REACH VN).

INTRODUCTION: Low- and middle-income countries have rapidly increasing numbers of people with dementia, yet little evidence on family caregiving interventions. We tested the preliminary efficacy and feasibility of a family caregiving intervention in northern Vietnam. METHODS: Nine clusters comprising 60 family caregivers were randomized to a culturally adapted version of a four- to six-session, multicomponent intervention delivered in-home over 2 to 3 months, or enhanced control. Eligible caregivers were ≥18 years of age and scored ≥6 on the Zarit Burden Inventory (ZBI). RESULTS: Fifty-one caregivers (85%) completed the study. Using analysis of covariance with 3-month assessment as the outcome and baseline assessment as a covariate, intervention group caregivers had an average ZBI (primary outcome) score 1.2 standard deviation (SD) lower (P = .02) and Patient Health Questionnaire-4 (psychological distress) score 0.7 SD lower (P = .03) than controls. DISCUSSION: In the first study of its kind in Vietnam, a culturally adapted, manualized, family caregiver intervention was both efficacious and feasible.