AUTHOR=Cao Xingqi , Chen Chen , He Liu , Zheng Zhoutao , Zhang Jingyun , Hoogendijk Emiel O. , Liu Xiaoting , Li Shujuan , Wang Xiaofeng , Zhu Yimin , Liu Zuyun 

TITLE=Development and Validation of a New Simple Functional Score in the Older Chinese Population

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Public Health

VOLUME=Volume 10 - 2022

YEAR=2022

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/public-health/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2022.813323

DOI=10.3389/fpubh.2022.813323

ISSN=2296-2565

ABSTRACT=Background: Existing aging metrics incorporating cognitive and physical function are often not feasible for application in research and clinical practice. Therefore, this study aimed to develop and validate a new simple functional score based on self-reported cognitive and physical function in the older Chinese population.
Methods: The development sample included 3929 older adults aged 60-95 years from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS). The validation sample included 1345 older adults aged 60-87 years from the Rugao Longitudinal Ageing study (RLAS). Logistic regression models and receiver operating characteristic curves were used to examine the associations of the new functional score with all-cause mortality risk.
Results: Six items were selected to construct the new functional score in CHARLS. This functional score was associated with all-cause mortality risk, with an adjusted odds ratio of 1.10 (95% confidence interval=1.07, 1.13). This functional score presented additional predictive utility beyond age and sex, as demonstrated by the significantly increased C-statistic, integrated discrimination improvement (IDI), and continuous net reclassification improvement (NRI) (all P<0.001). Furthermore, this functional score was further validated in RLAS, such that adding the new functional score to a model of age and sex improved all-cause mortality risk discrimination (IDI=0.036, P<0.001; NRI=0.485, P<0.001). To facilitate the quick screening of the older population with deteriorations in cognitive and physical function, we introduced a publicly available online tool designed for this new functional score.
Conclusions: A new functional score based on six self-reported items was developed and validated in the older Chinese population, and was demonstrated to be a simple and practical tool to assess functional deterioration, showing good feasibility and performance.