Prevalence and Associates of Fear of Falling among Community-Dwelling Older Adults.

Ozturk G., Kilic C., Bozkurt M. E., Karan M. A.

The journal of nutrition, health & aging, vol.25, no.4, pp.433-439, 2021 (SCI-Expanded) identifier identifier identifier

  • Publication Type: Article / Article
  • Volume: 25 Issue: 4
  • Publication Date: 2021
  • Doi Number: 10.1007/s12603-020-1535-9
  • Journal Name: The journal of nutrition, health & aging
  • Journal Indexes: Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED), Scopus, PASCAL, Abstracts in Social Gerontology, AgeLine, CAB Abstracts, CINAHL, EMBASE, Food Science & Technology Abstracts, MEDLINE, Veterinary Science Database
  • Page Numbers: pp.433-439
  • Keywords: Fear of falling, limitation, anxiety, geriatric syndromes, ASIAN WORKING GROUP, ACTIVITY RESTRICTION, RISK-FACTORS, PEOPLE, DEPRESSION, PERFORMANCE, SARCOPENIA, FRAILTY, SCALE, GAIT
  • Istanbul University Affiliated: Yes

Abstract

ObjectivesWe aimed to study the prevalence of fear of falling (FOF), and its association with physical performance, functionality, frailty, sarcopenia, and a variety of geriatric syndromes including cognitive impairment, depression, quality of life and hearing.DesignRetrospective, cross-sectional study.SettingCommunity-dwelling older adults applied to the geriatric outpatient clinic of a university hospital.ParticipantsA total of 1021community-dwelling older adults >= 60 years of age applying to the geriatric outpatient clinic of a university hospital.MeasurementsWe screened for falls and FOF by single close-ended questions. We performed screening and assessment of probable sarcopenia by SARC-F test and handgrip strength evaluation according to EWGSOP2. We used timed up and go test (TUG), usual gait speed (UGS) for physical performance, and Katz- activities of daily living (ADL) and Lawton-Brody instrumental activities of daily living (IADL) for functional evaluation. We screened anxiety with the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 scale.ResultsThe prevalence of FOF was 44.6% and falls, 37.7%. Prevalence of FOF in sarcopenia screening positive participants was 30.1%; in probable sarcopenic (35/20 kg) participants, 43.9%; in those with undernutrition, 45.7%; in fallers, 51.1%; in females, 80.4%; and in prefrail/frail was 74.7% Multivariate regression analyses revealed that female sex (OR=4.1, 95%CI= 2.0-8.4, p<0.001), anxiety (OR=2.7, 95%CI= 1.1-6.5, p=0.03) and ADL limitation (OR=2.5, 95%CI= 1.03-6.3, p=0.04) were independent associates of FOF.ConclusionFOF accompanied by fall experience or not is prevalent in community-dwelling older adults. It is associated with anxiety and ADL limitations apart from the female sex.