Elderly Falls Prevalence and Associated Factors in Sohag Governorate.

Abstract

Population aging is a global challenge experienced by most developed and developing countries. There are diverse deleterious changes produced by aging process resulting in reduction of the effectiveness of various systems which can contribute to the occurrence of falls in the elderly. Elderly falls can have serious consequences and constitute a major cause of morbidity and mortality. Therefore, research is critically needed for establishing effective policies to reduce risk.Objective: This study was conducted to estimate the prevalence of elderly falls and identify associated factors in Sohag Governorate. Methods:A cross-sectional, population-based study conducted from December 2015 to April 2016 in a sample of non-institutionalized elderly people (60 years old or more), living in Sohag governorate.It included 1034participants. A questionnaire was designed to obtain data about history of falls in the previous 12 months and its associated factors.Results:Findings showed that 33.35% of the studied elderly populationin Sohag Governorate reported that they experienced falls in the previous year.Age, living alone, lighting, presence of stairs and carpets had a highly significant effect (P-value <0.001) on the incidence of falls among the studied population. Medication use, balance and mobility factors,most of the medical and psychological factors significantly affected the occurrence of falls among the studied population.Conclusion:The prevalence of falls in elderly is relatively high in Sohag Governorate. Identification of factors significantly affecting elderly falls can help in planning public health policies and programs for prevention of falls.