LAUSR

Abstract Background Scanty evidence is available on association of multimorbidity with frailty in younger adults. We aimed to investigate the frailty among 40 years or more aged population, it's association with multimorbidity and healthcare utilization. Methods This cross-sectional study was done among patients aged ≥40 years attending two randomly selected primary-care centers in Odisha, India using validated tools. Associated factors were identified using multivariate regression. Results Out of 364 people contacted, 320 agreed to participate in the study having mean age of 53.39 years. More than 36% of the study participants were frail. Higher frailty was reported among 60 years or older people (78%), whereas, nearly 40% people aged less than 60 years were prefrail. Nearly 50% of multimorbid people (≥3 chronic diseases) were frail. According to multivariate regression, a unit rise in chronic condition count increases the odds of frailty by 3 and 4.5 times in the age group Conclusion Frailty and multimorbidity are associated not only among elderly but also in middle aged population. Also, frailty increases the frequency of hospital visits. Thus, attempt should be made to identify frailty in middle age population.