Falls among community-dwelling older adults in Ethiopia; A preliminary cross-sectional study

Janakiraman, Balamurugan; Temesgen, Melaku Hailu; Jember, Gashaw; Gelaw, Asmare Yitayeh; Gebremeskel, Berihu Fisseha; Ravichandran, Hariharasudhan; Worku, Emnet; Abich, Yohannes; Yilak, Fekadu; Belay, Misganaw

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0221875

Cited by 25 publications

(20 citation statements)

References 34 publications

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“…According to prior studies, uneducated elders are twice as likely to experience falls as educated people. 22 , 37 , 38 Poor educational status and/or uneducated older adults may lack a proper understanding of the consequences of old age and, health related age and life adjustments. 38 Therefore, dramatic changes in education and knowledge would improve the health of the older adults.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…22 , 37 , 38 Poor educational status and/or uneducated older adults may lack a proper understanding of the consequences of old age and, health related age and life adjustments. 38 Therefore, dramatic changes in education and knowledge would improve the health of the older adults. 39 In addition, our findings reveal a link between income and falls.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Risk Factors Associated with Fall Awareness, Falls, and Quality of Life Among Ethnic Minority Older Adults in Upper Northern Thailand

Kantow¹,

Seangpraw²,

Ong-Artborirak³

et al. 2021

CIA

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Background Falls are a major public health issue and one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality among the older adults in many countries. Falls and their consequences have an impact on people’s quality of life, particularly the older adults. However, there have been very few studies on falls among ethnic minority groups living in rural areas. The aim of this study was to examine factors related to fall awareness, falls, and quality of life among ethnic minority older adults living in northern Thailand. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted among 462 older adults from ethnic minority groups living in rural communities in Phayao and Lamphun provinces of northern Thailand using a multi-stage sampling technique. The data were collected through face-to-face interviews, with structured questionnaires covering health information, fall awareness, and quality of life (WHOQOL-OLD). The factors were determined using simple linear regression and binary logistic regression. Results The mean age of the participants was 68.2, Karen (35.5%), Mien (24.2%), indigenous (20.8%), and Hmong (19.5%). In the previous 12 months, 20.6% of elders had experienced a fall, and 4.5% of them had experienced multiple falls. More than half of the elders had moderate fall awareness and quality of life (71.6% and 68.6%, respectively). Univariate analysis revealed that minority group, sociodemographic characteristics, sleep duration, and fear of falling were all found to be associated with fall awareness, falls, and quality of life score (p<0.001). There was a significant relationship among fall awareness, falls, and quality of life score (p<0.001). Compared to those who had not fallen in the previous year, the quality of life of the older adults who had fallen was about 11 points lower. Conclusion Several independent variables were discovered to be fall risk factors and quality of life indicators. It is critical to recognize the risk factors to promote fall prevention programs that are appropriate for the older adults among ethnic minorities. Therefore, public health agencies and local government should be aware of the problem and initiate an implementation program and policy to prevent falls and improve the quality of life among ethnic minority older adults.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Risk Factors Associated with Fall Awareness, Falls, and Quality of Life Among Ethnic Minority Older Adults in Upper Northern Thailand

Kantow¹,

Seangpraw²,

Ong-Artborirak³

et al. 2021

CIA

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“…Studies had reported a wide range of risk factors for fall; age, gender, severity of visual impairment, body mass index, psychosocial, physical environment, fear of fall, depression, decreased vestibular reflexes, decreased muscle strength, increasing postural sway, concurrent medical issues, poly-medications, and pre-existing medical co-morbidities [2,10,11]. Polypharmacy is also one of the important risk factor for falling and the association is stronger if the medications include fall riskincreasing medications [12].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Self-reported fall and associated factors among adult people with visual impairment in Gondar, Ethiopia: a cross-sectional study

et al. 2020

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Background: Fall is a major public health problem and potentially disabling issue. A vast burden of visually impaired live in low-middle income countries particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa. Limited ability to detect environmental hazards puts visually impaired at a greater risk of falls and unintentional injuries. Falls among visually impaired is associated with considerable disability, health care cost, loss of independence, and socioeconomic consequences. Ethiopia lacked estimates of fall among any vulnerable population, particularly among visually impaired people. Therefore, this study aimed to estimate the prevalence of falls and factors associated among adult people with medically diagnosed visual impairment in Ethiopia. Methods: An institutional-based cross-sectional study was conducted among visually impaired adults who attended the ophthalmology clinic at the University of Gondar comprehensive specialized hospital during the study period. Data were collected by interview method using structured questionnaires, patient medical record reviews, and physical measurements. Bivariate and multivariable binary logistic regression model analysis was used to identify factors associated with falls. Adjusted odds ratio with corresponding 95% confidence intervals were computed to show the strength of association. Results: A total of 328 adults medically diagnosed with visual impairment participated in the study (97.3% response rate). The age of the participants ranged from 25 to 89 years with a mean age of (56.46 ± 14.2 years). The overall cumulative prevalence of self-reported falls among adults with visual impairment was 26.8% with 95%CI (22.7, 32.4%). The major associated factors of fall identified by multivariate analysis were; visual impairment in both eye (

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“…Due to declining physical health, seniors are often worried about their personal safety. The slippery surface of the road can easily lead to younger adults falling, let alone frail seniors [ 96 ]. Seniors may hesitate to go out if they know there are many slippery surfaces in the area or may be encouraged to go outside if slip-resistant measures, such as anti-slip mats and non-slip tiles, are in place.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Investigating the Association between Outdoor Environment and Outdoor Activities for Seniors Living in Old Residential Communities

Guo

Zheng

et al. 2021

IJERPH

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Many seniors live in old residential communities (ORCs) with low-quality outdoor environment (OE), which hinders the residents’ outdoor daily activities (ODAs). This paper empirically investigates the association of OE on ODAs for seniors living in ORCs. A questionnaire was designed and distributed in six central districts of Nanjing city. A total of 258 questionnaires was finally collected, of which 60.08%, 29.46%, 9.69%, and 0.78% respondents were scattered into four age groups (61–69, 70–79, 80–89, and ≥90), respectively. Based on reliability analysis, correlation analysis, and regression analysis, the results show that: (1) social activities are mainly associated with noise; (2) leisure activities are significantly associated with road accessibility, slip-resistance measures, greenery, and staff; (3) utilitarian-type activities are significantly associated with stairway accessibility, slip-resistance measures, greenery, and seating; (4) there is a significant association between nature-exposure activities and layout, greenery, and poor air quality. The findings could guide Chinese officials when renewing ORCs by addressing the most important outdoor environmental factors associated with ODAs.

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Falls among community-dwelling older adults in Ethiopia; A preliminary cross-sectional study

Cited by 25 publications

References 34 publications

Risk Factors Associated with Fall Awareness, Falls, and Quality of Life Among Ethnic Minority Older Adults in Upper Northern Thailand

Risk Factors Associated with Fall Awareness, Falls, and Quality of Life Among Ethnic Minority Older Adults in Upper Northern Thailand

Self-reported fall and associated factors among adult people with visual impairment in Gondar, Ethiopia: a cross-sectional study

Investigating the Association between Outdoor Environment and Outdoor Activities for Seniors Living in Old Residential Communities

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