Prevalence of frailty in Vietnam: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Abstract

Frailty is a common geriatric syndrome associated with adverse outcomes including hospitalization and mortality. In Vietnam, reported frailty prevalence varies widely across settings, populations, and assessment tools, and no comprehensive synthesis exists. This systematic review and meta-analysis aims to estimate the pooled prevalence of frailty among older adults (aged 60 years or older) in Vietnam, across both community and hospital settings, and to identify sources of between-study heterogeneity. We will search PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, Scopus, the Cochrane Library, Google Scholar, and Vietnamese indexed journals for studies published from January 2015 to December 2025, with no language restriction. Eligible studies will report frailty prevalence measured with a validated instrument in adults aged 60 years or older residing in Vietnam. Methodological quality will be appraised using the Joanna Briggs Institute checklist for prevalence studies. Prevalence will be pooled using a random-effects model on the logit scale in R. Subgroup analyses (setting, geographic region, assessment tool) and random-effects meta-regression (mean age, proportion female) will explore heterogeneity. Publication bias will be assessed using the Peters regression test, which is appropriate for proportion data. Reporting will follow the PRISMA 2020 statement.