ObjectivesThis article aims at describing, in a Belgian town, the frequency of the fear of falling and of subsequent activity restriction among non-institutionalised people aged 65 years and over, and at identifying persons affected by these two issues.MethodsCross-sectional survey conducted in Fontaine l'Evêque (Belgium) in 2006, using a self-administered questionnaire.ResultsThe participants could fill in the questionnaire on their own or with the help of a third party if needed. The latter were not taken into account in this article. Analyses covered 419 questionnaires. Fear of falling and activity restriction were reported by, respectively, 59.1% and 33.2% of participants. They were more frequent among fallers but also affected non-fallers. In logistic regression analyses: gender, the fact of living alone and the number of falls were significantly associated with fear of falling; gender, age and the number of falls were significantly associated with activity restriction.ConclusionsOur study, despite various limitations, shows the importance of fear of falling and of subsequent activity restriction among older people, among fallers as well as among non-fallers. It also provides information, though limited, concerning persons affected by these two issues in Belgium, and in other contexts as well. Given the ageing of our populations, it is important to take these problems into account when caring for older people.

We describe characteristics of an ongoing measles outbreak in Wallonia, Belgium, and difficulties in control measures implementation. As at 12 March 2017, 177 measles cases were notified, of which 50% were 15 years and older, 49% female. Atypical clinical presentation and severe complications, mainly among adults, in combination with late notification, low or unknown vaccination coverage of contacts, infected healthcare workers and increased workload due to contact tracing, are the main concerns for outbreak management.

MHs, as they combine a greater adherence to guidelines and savings in secondary care, are a cost-effective alternative to traditional IPs and therefore should be encouraged.

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Introduction: In older populations, the help of a third person may be necessary for a certain number of individuals in order to fill in questionnaires. The influence of this assistance on the collected information can raise questions, among others concerning the concordance between the information provided by the persons themselves and by their proxies, or the introduction of a potential bias. Our study's objective is to examine, among older people, the differences in the reported frequency of falls, fear of falling and activity restriction due to fear of falling, according to the fact that people had filled in a questionnaire with or without the help of a third person. Methods: The data used come from the secondary analysis of a cross-sectional survey using a self-administered questionnaire and conducted in 2006 in a Belgian semi-rural town among non-institutionalised persons aged 65 years and over. Results: Among the 501 questionnaires, 16.4% were filled in with the help of another person. In bivariate analysis, the persons who needed help reported fall history, fear of falling and activity restriction significantly more often. In multivariable analysis, when considering concurrently the covariates (sex, age, living alone and fall history for fear of falling and for activity restriction), the influence of having received help to fill in the survey was only significant for activity restriction. Conclusion: Our study shows that it is important to know whether or not a person has received help to fill in a questionnaire. This can actually influence the reported frequency of certain outcomes, even, for activity restriction, when considering simultaneously the effect of other covariates. Given the current and future ageing of our popula-* Corresponding author.E. Mendes da Costa et al. 1513 tions, it seems that more extensive exploration is needed of the influence of proxies on the collected information about falls, fear of falling and activity restriction among older people.

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Introduction Falls frequently affect older persons and can cause fear of falling and subsequent activity restriction. Among older people, the help of another person is sometimes necessary to complete questionnaires. The effect of this assistance on the collected information can raise questions. We study the effect of completing a questionnaire with or without the help of someone on the frequency of falls, fear of falling and subsequent activity restriction. Method Cross-sectional survey; self-administered questionnaire; Fontaine l'Eveque (Belgium); 2006; persons aged 65 years and over non-institutionalised; 2812 questionnaires sent. Results Of the 501 received and eligible questionnaires, 82 were completed with the help of someone. In bivariate analysis, having fallen within the past year, being afraid of falling and having restricted activities were more often reported by people who did not answer alone. Among persons aged 65-74 and 75-84 years old, the association between completing the questionnaire with help and having fallen was not signifi cant when considering simultaneously the fact of living alone and the sex. When taking into account simultaneously the age, the sex, living alone and having fallen, having completed the questionnaire with help was not signifi cantly associated with fear of falling but it was with activity restriction. Conclusion The fact that someone has helped to complete a questionnaire is important to know and can infl uence the frequency of certain outcomes. Some distribution differences do not persist in our survey when considering other variables, variables which are thus important to take into account.

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