Abstract: Objective To explore the epidemiological characteristics and risk factors of activities of daily living(ADL) decline before admission in the elderly patients in order to provide reference for the improvement of life quality and function. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted in the elderly patients aged ≥ 65 years from January 12, 2017 to February 28, 2018 from West China Hospital of Sichuan University. Demographic information and number of diagnosis were collected. The FRAIL scale and Barthel index rating scale were used to evaluate frailty status and ADL respectively. Multivariate Logistic regression analysis was used to analyze the risk factors of ADL decline during 2 weeks before admission. Results Among 1855 subjects, 849(45.8%) presented with ADL decline before admission. The main decreased activities were as follows: going up and down stairs, transferring, walking and bathing. Multivariate Logistic regression analysis showed that age, frailty,acute health problems,number of diagnosis and mild impairment of activity at baseline were the independent risk factors for the loss of ADL before admission. Conclusions It is of great clinical significance to manage weakness, to reduce or control the occurrence or progression of diseases, and to maintain activity ability for alleviating the further decline of ADL in long-term care for older people.

Key words: aged, ability of daily living, hospitalization, frailty