PhD defence by Mathilde Glud Christensen

Frailty as Premature aging-The Role of social factors

Assessment Committee:
Professor Jesper Ryg, Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Copenhagen (Chairperson)
Associate professor Merete Gregersen, Aarhus university hospital
Dr Ellen Freiberger, Institute for Biomedicine of Aging Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg

Supervisors:
Postgraduate Clinical Associate Professor Ellen Astrid Holm
Clinical Professor Charlotte Suetta
Lecturer Katja Kemp Jacobsen,

Department:
Department of Clinical Medicine

Graduate Programme:
Public Health and Epidemiology

Place:
SUH, Køge, Room: Auditorium, Lykkebækvej 1, 4600

Email address to gain access to the thesis: magc@regsj.dk 
You will either receive a copy of the thesis or be informed where you can read a physical copy.
Recipients of copies of the thesis are not allowed to share or distribute it due to copyright compliance.

Short description of the thesis:
Frailty is a common condition in older adults characterized by reduced physiological reserves and increased vulnerability to acute stressors such as illness. This PhD project explores how frailty develops across the life-course and how social and socio-economic factors are associated with frailty. Using data from the Lolland-Falster Health Study, national health registers, and qualitative interviews, the thesis examines the prevalence of frailty, its association with healthcare utilization, and how older adults experience and manage health-related challenges while living with frailty. The findings contribute to a broader understanding of frailty and may help inform future prevention and care strategies.