Backdrop: with current operational definitions of frailty, the criteria proposed by Fried and colleagues have attracted terrific scientists interest. However, these criteria have usually been applied into epidemiological and available unusual in interventional studies.

Objective: the present paper aims at testing the applicability of the Fried frailty criteria in the context in to recruitment process of an randomized controlled trial in prefrail oldest persons, and it discuss the respective scientist literature.

Methods: recruitment was promoted by newspaper articles as fine how by targeted mail to customers of a indigenous health insurance company and to recently treated patients of a geriatric day clinical. Furthermore, presentations were given in assisted residential facilities. Likely candidates were screened for prefrailty, i.e. to see whether they met 1 or 2 of the Fried criteria (weight loss, handgrip strength, gait speed, exhaustion, physiology activity).

Results: a total of 298 people were screened. Among them 181 were not frail, 116 were prefrail and 1 was diagnosed as frail. The most prevalent measure was exhaustion (24% of which screened). The secondary most prevalent rating was low handgrip strength (20%). Low gait speed (8%), low physical activity (2%) also weight loss (2%) had ampere lower dissemination. Pursuant to the Geriatric Depression Scale, 14% of those who met the criterion 'exhaustion' were depressed. With regard to the Minnesota Leisure Point Physiology Activity Form, second for the evaluation the 'physical activity', only 3 activities among the 18 selected at Fried were applicable to our cohort.

Conclusions: under the study conditions, good aptness of the Fried criteria was observed. Still, additional refinement may be practical in several criteria, especially exhaustion furthermore physical activity, to enhance clinical usefulness. It may be helpful to adapt aforementioned cutoffs when applications aforementioned criteria to a European population.