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Background: while there is a trend towards a compression of disability, secular trends in physiological frailty have not been investigated. The aim of this paper was to report physiological frailty in two cohorts of 75-year olds examined in 1987 and 2005. Methods: a repeated cross-sectional study. Two population-based birth cohorts of community-dwelling 75-year olds from Gothenburg, Sweden, born in 1911-12 (n = 591) and 1930 (n = 637) were examined with identical methods in 1987 and 2005. Measures were three frailty criteria from Fried's frailty phenotype: low physical activity, slow gait speed and self-reported exhaustion. Results: seventy-five-year olds examined in 2005 were less frail according to the criteria low physical activity compared with those examined in 1987 (3 versus 18%, P < 0.001).This was seen both in women and in men, and among those with basic and more than basic educational level. Further, men with basic education were less frail in 2005 compared with those in 1987 in slow gait speed (non-significant when adjusted for body height) and low self-rated fitness, while no cohort differences were seen in men with more than basic education. Women with more than basic education were less frail in 2005 compared with those in 1987 in slow gait speed and self-rated fitness, while no cohort difference was seen in women with basic education. Conclusion: less 75-year olds were physiologically frail in 2005 compared with those in 1987, with the exception of women with low educational level, suggesting that this is a disadvantaged group that needs to receive particular attention with regard to physiological frailty. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: little is known about the prevalence of at-risk drinking in older adults.Objective: to compare rates of at-risk drinking in 75-year-olds examined in 1976–77 and in 2005–06.Design: cross-sectional survey.Setting: two samples representative of the general population in Gothenburg, Sweden.Participants: 75-year-olds born in 1901–02 (n = 303) and in 1930 (n = 753).Methods: participants took part in a multidisciplinary study on health and ageing. Protocols regarding alcohol consumption were identical for both cohorts. Total weekly alcohol intake was estimated and at-risk drinking was defined as ≥100 g alcohol/week.Results: the proportion abstaining differed significantly between birth cohorts (18% in 1976–77 versus 9% in 2005, P < 0.001). Frequencies of drinking beer and liquor were similar in the two cohorts for men, but were lower for women in the later-born cohort. Proportions drinking wine were higher in the later-born cohort for both sexes. Total weekly alcohol intake was higher for both men and women. At-risk drinking was observed in 19.3% of the men in the earlier-born cohort, and in 27.4% in the later-born cohort (P = 0.117). Corresponding figures for women were 0.6 and 10.4% (P < 0.001). At-risk drinking was significantly associated with birth cohort in women (OR: 13.77, CI: 1.82–104.0, P = 0.011) and the occupational group in men (OR: 1.60, CI: 1.13–2.26, P = 0.008).Conclusions: alcohol consumption in 75-year-olds has changed markedly, especially in women. Studies need to be carried out in varied settings in order to evaluate the clinical and public health implications of changing trends in alcohol consumption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]