This study aims to evaluate the instrumental activities of daily living (iADLs) limitations in Europe and its association with socio-demographic characteristics, economic parameters and physical and mental health status. We used data from the wave 6 of SHARE database. Individuals were classified as having either none or one or more limitations on iADLs. Participants aged 65 or more years who answered all questions for the variables included in this work were selected. A total of 54.8% of participants were female and had a mean age of 74.37 (SD = 7.08) years. A global prevalence of 1 or more iADLs in Europe was shown to be 23.8% and more prevalent in women than in men (27.1% vs. 17.6%) and in people aged 85 years or more (51.5%). Older age, female gender, lower education, physical inactivity, frailty, having two or more chronic diseases, presence of depression, polypharmacy, poor self-perception of health and lower network satisfaction were found to be factors associated with the presence of 1 or more iADLs limitation. This study highlights the burden of iADLs limitations at the European level. These are based on a multidimensional biopsychosocial model and are associated with both health conditions and environmental factors. This intersection between the physical and social world underscores its potential as a health indicator and can, to some extent, explain some of the pronounced differences seen among European countries. Different inter-tasks can also stress different dimensions of health indicators in distinct and specific groups of individuals. Minimizing the impact of iADL limitations can improve the quality and sustainability of public health systems.

Aim: As a person ages, the risk of falls increases, which affects quality of life and represents a financial burden to health- and social-systems, and a greater morbidity and mortality risk. Falls lead to decreased social contact, anxiety, long-term physical disability, severe dependency and hospitalizations. Currently, few studies address this phenomenon using a uniform methodology; therefore, this study aims to explore the prevalence of falls and associated-variables in older adults across Europe. Methods: In this cross-sectional analysis, we used data from Wave 6 of SHARE. The prevalence of falls was assessed through the answer “falling down” to the question “For the past six months at least, have you been bothered by any of the health conditions on this card?”. Multilevel logistic regression was used, using falls as a dependent variable. Multilevel univariable logistic regression models were made to identify potential associated factors. Results: From the 41,098 participants, 56.3% were female, and the average age was of 70.0 ± 8.9 years. The prevalence of falls was 8.2% (CI 8.0% to 8.4%), being higher in women (10.1% vs. 5.8%) and increasing with age. Age, female gender, being frail or pre-frail, higher scores on the EURO-D scale, polypharmacy and fear of falling were found to be significantly associated with falls. Conclusions: We found that falls are prevalent in the European community-dwelling population, with variations between countries. As a public health priority, identification of the variables associated with falls is important in order to identify/monitor the risk in older groups and develop tailored and cost-effective interventions for falls prevention.

The Control of Allergic Rhinitis and Asthma Test (CARAT) is a patient‐reported outcome measurement (PROM) assessing the control of asthma and allergic rhinitis (AR) at a 4 week interval. This systematic review aimed to evaluate the measurement properties of CARAT. Following PRISMA and COSMIN guidelines, we searched five bibliographic databases and retrieved studies concerning the development, assessment of properties, validation, and/or cultural adaption of CARAT. The studies' methodological quality, the quality of measurement properties, and the overall quality of evidence were assessed. We performed meta‐analysis of CARAT measurement properties. We included 16 studies. Control of Allergic Rhinitis and Asthma Test displayed sufficient content validity and very good consistency (meta‐analytical Cronbach alpha = 0.83; 95% CI = 0.80–0.86;I2 = 62.6%). Control of allergic rhinitis and Asthma Test meta‐analytical intraclass correlation coefficient was 0.91 (95% CI = 0.64–0.98;I2 = 93.7%). It presented good construct validity, especially for correlations with Patient‐reported outcome measures assessing asthma (absolute Spearman correlation coefficients range = 0.67–0.73; moderate quality of evidence), and good responsiveness. Its minimal important difference is 3.5. Overall, CARAT has good internal consistency, reliability, construct validity and responsiveness, despite the heterogeneous quality of evidence. Control of Allergic Rhinitis and Asthma Test can be used to assess the control of asthma and AR. As first of its kind, this meta‐analysis of CARAT measurement properties sets a stronger level of evidence for asthma and/or AR control questionnaires.