Assessment of risk factors associated with falls among the elderly in a municipality in the state of Paraíba, Brazil. A cross-sectional study

Abstract

The numbers of elderly people are growing rapidly. Both the community collectively and healthcare professionals, family members and caregivers individually need to reflect on their commitment towards dealing with the changes that occur as people become older. Aging is a natural, progressive and irreversible process that directly interferes with biological and functional conditions. Hence, one-off actions aimed at promoting healing and/or rehabilitation are insufficient. 1 Statistical data show that Brazil has 20.6 million elderly people, representing 10.8% of its total population. By 2060, this country's elderly population is expected to reach 58.4 million (26.7% of the total population). 2 Accordingly, guidance for actions to diminish the risk factors for falls in home settings will become very relevant. The incidence of falls varies across countries. Studies conducted in Latin America and the Caribbean region have identified that, on an annual basis, the proportion of older adults suffering falls ranges from 21.6% in Barbados to 34% in Chile. 3 These data emphasize that there is a need to take a more accurate look into the settings within which elderly people live. This is a major challenge, with regard both to identifying the elderly people who are at risk and to planning preventive strategies, irrespective of geographical location. Falls are the sixth leading cause of death among people over 65 years old. They make these individuals fragile, insecure and unable to perform their daily activities for fear of falling again. 4 Both intrinsic factors (physiological changes stemming from aging itself; presence of morbidities; and deficits in balance, vision, hearing or gait) and extrinsic factors (environmental risks due to poor lighting or inadequate or slippery floors; risk-prone behaviors, such as going upstairs and downstairs; and routine activities of daily living) play important roles.

Adherence and Barriers to Drug Therapy: Relationship With the Risk of Falls in Older Adults

“…The findings of this study related to the sociodemographic and economic characteristics of the interviewees were similar to those of another study carried out with older adults assisted by the Family Health Strategy (FHS) in the state of Paraíba, in which the profile also points to a majority of women, widows, with a mean of age 73, retired, with a mean of 6 years of study and incomes of up to two minimum wages 20 .…”

Modified Timed Up and Go Test for Tendency to Fall and Balance Assessment in Elderly Patients With Gait Instability

“…The duration of the test, including an explanation regarding the patient's performance, is <1 min. Although some authors have suggested that a long test performance time is an indicator of a high risk for falls (15), this association has not been clearly demonstrated (16).…”

Perfil epidemiológico e avaliação do risco de queda em idosos usuários da Estratégia Saúde da Família

“…Em estudo realizado em Fortaleza-CE com população semelhante (idade até 79 anos = 57,8%; sexo feminino predominante na amostra = 64,4%), a variável sexo também não influenciou no tempo de execução do TUG (p = 0,691) (Chagas, et al, 2018). Outro estudo realizado em Patos -PB, a menos de 200km do local de realização da presente pesquisa, também com população semelhante (média de idade = 71 anos; sexo feminino predominante na amostra = 68.4%), não encontrou diferença estatística entre os sexos no quesito tempo de execução do TUG (p = 0.744) Assef;. Vale ressaltar a heterogeneidade dos estudos que determinaram a relação entre sexo e TUG.…”