Groningen Frailty Indicator (GFI)

Frailty is an indicator of risk of poor health outcomes (e.g. mortality, institutionalization, hospitalization, and functional decline) in elderly people (section: elderly).

The Groningen Frailty Indicator is a self-assessment instrument designed to measure frailty in the elderly from a multidimensional perspective. The GFI was validated in the population of elderly participants in Lifelines1).

The GFI was filled in by ~10,000 elderly participants in 1A Questionnaire 1 and by ~12,000 elderly participants in follow-up questionnaire 1B. A modified GFI was implemented in the COVID-19 additional questionnaires

The following GFI-variables were collected in the context of various general questionnaires:

Questions English Questions Dutch Code Variable Assessment Age
shopping / are you able to carry out the following tasks single-handedly and without any help (except perhaps a walking stick, walking frame, or wheelchair) de boodschappen doen / kunt u zonder enige hulp van iemand anders zelfstandig, eventueel met behulp van stok, rollator of rolstoel: gfi_tasks_adu_q_01_a GFI1A 1A 1B 3B 65+
dressing and undressing / are you able to carry out the following tasks single-handedly and without any help (except perhaps a walking stick, walking frame, or wheelchair) zichzelf aan en uitkleden / kunt u zonder enige hulp van iemand anders zelfstandig, eventueel met behulp van stok, rollator of rolstoel: gfi_tasks_adu_q_01_b GFI1B 1A 1B 3B 65+
walking around outside (around the house or to the neighbors) / are you able to carry out the following tasks single-handedly and without any help (except perhaps a walking stick, walking frame, or wheelchair) zich buitenshuis verplaatsen (rondom huis, naar buren) / kunt u zonder enige hulp van iemand anders zelfstandig, eventueel met behulp van stok, rollator of rolstoel: gfi_tasks_adu_q_01_c GFI1C 1A 1B 3B 65+
going to the toilet / are you able to carry out the following tasks single-handedly and without any help (except perhaps a walking stick, walking frame, or wheelchair) naar het toilet gaan / kunt u zonder enige hulp van iemand anders zelfstandig, eventueel met behulp van stok, rollator of rolstoel: gfi_tasks_adu_q_01_d GFI1D 1A 1B 3B 65+
what mark do you give yourself for physical fitness? (scale 0 to 10) welk rapportcijfer geeft u zichzelf voor hoe fit u zich voelt? (van 0 tot 10) gfi_fitness_adu_q_02 GFI2 1B 3B 65+
do you experience problems in daily life because of poor vision? heeft u problemen in het dagelijks leven door slecht zien? gfi_vision_adu_q_03 GFI3 1B 3B 65+
do you experience problems in daily life because of being hard of hearing? heeft u problemen in het dagelijks leven door slecht horen? gfi_hearing_adu_q_04 GFI4 1B 3B 65+
have you recently lost a lot of weight unwillingly? (6 kg in 6 months or 3 kg in one month) bent u in de afgelopen periode veel afgevallen zonder dit te willen (6 kg in 6 maanden of 3 kg in één maand) gfi_weightloss_adu_q_05 GFI5 1B 3B 65+
do you take 4 or more different types of medicine? gebruikt u momenteel 4 of meer verschillende soorten medicijnen? gfi_medication_adu_q_06 GFI6 1B 3B 65+
do you have any complaints about your memory? hebt u klachten over uw geheugen? gfi_memory_adu_q_07 GFI7 1A 1B 3B 65+
do you ever experience emptiness around you? ervaart u wel eens een leegte om u heen? gfi_emotions_adu_q_08 GFI8 1B 3B 65+
do you ever miss people around you? mist u wel eens mensen om u heen? gfi_emotions_adu_q_09 GFI9 1B 3B 65+
do you ever feel let down? voelt u zich wel eens in de steek gelaten? gfi_emotions_adu_q_10 GFI10 1B 3B 65+
have you felt gloomy or depressed recently? heeft u zich de laatste tijd somber of neerslachtig gevoeld? gfi_emotions_adu_q_11 GFI11 1B 3B 65+
have you felt nervous or afraid recently? heeft u zich de laatste tijd nerveus of angstig gevoeld? gfi_emotions_adu_q_12 GFI12 1B 3B 65+
1)
Peters, L.L. et al. (2015). Construct validity of the Groningen Frailty Indicator established in a large sample of home-dwelling elderly persons: Evidence of stability across age and gender. Exp. Gerontol. 69, 129–141