Fear of Falling in Older Adults: A Scoping Review of Recent Literature

MacKay, Scott; Ebert, Patricia; Harbidge, Cathy; Hogan, David B.

doi:10.5770/cgj.24.521

Cited by 46 publications

(33 citation statements)

References 66 publications

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“…In contrast, 166 participants (42.67%) reported P-FoF over time, and 140 participants (35.9%) reported T-FoF. Our longitudinal reported prevalence of FoF – ranging between the two groups from 35.9% to 42.67% – are consistent with the findings by a recent systematic review [ 36 ], demonstrating that for FoF levels obtained with a single question, the prevalence is somewhat lower compared to questionnaires.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 89%

“…Overall, our study support already reported risk factors for developing FoF over time in the literature [7,9,33], with physical limitations and sex in the front but also living alone playing a role. Osteoporosis was a significant predictor of both T-FoF and P-FoF compared to No-FoF, which is in keeping with the notion that osteoporosis is a relevant risk factor for FoF [34][35][36]. Additionally, the awareness of risk related to falls and fractures may be a major trigger of FoF among older people, which in turn may lead to reduced physical activity and consequent downhill spiral of functional decline [35].…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 76%

“…Another limitation, one might say that the method of obtaining FoF level using just a simple question with a Likert-Scale is problematic. Nevertheless, this methods had shown its reliability and usefulness in epidemiological studies [ 36 ]. Furthermore, one could argue that the single item question is clinically easy to administer and might be more robust than using tools that assess falls-efficacy which are commonly used in the field, yet they are distinct concepts.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Transient versus stable nature of fear of falling over 24 months in community-older persons with falls– data of the EU SCOPE project on Kidney function

Freiberger

Fabbietti²,

Corsonello³

et al. 2022

BMC Geriatr

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Background Fear of falling (FoF) is an important risk factor for falls among older people. The objectives of our investigations were: a.) to present characteristics of older community-dwelling (CD) fallers with persistent or transient FoF (P-FoF or T-FoF) over 12 months, and b.) to investigate clinical predictors of P-FoF and T-FoF and c.) to explore differences between P-FoF and T-FoF. Methods Our series consisted of 389 older people reporting a fall or injurious fall at baseline and during 24 months follow-up participating in a multicenter prospective study. T-FoF was defined as participants reported “not at all” at baseline and “somewhat/fairly/very concerned” at follow-up, or “not at all” at follow-up, and “somewhat/fairly/very concerned” at baseline, and P-FoF was defined as participants answered “somewhat/fairly/very concerned” in both assessments at baseline and at follow-up. The association between risk factors and T-FoF or P-FoF was investigated by logistic regression analysis. Results The mean age of fallers in our sample was 79.0 years (SD 6.0), and 54.2% were females. Out of 389 older adults with a fall history at baseline, 83 participants (21.3%) did not report any FoF over time, P-FoF and T-FoF were observed in 42.7% and 35.9% of participants, respectively. After adjusting for potential confounders (e.g. age, gender), osteoporosis (OR = 2.04, 95%CI = 1.03–4.05) and impaired physical performance (OR = 2.38, 95%CI = 1.12–5.03) were significant predictors of T-FoF vs No-FoF. Osteoporosis (OR = 2.68, 95%CI = 1.31–5.48), depressive symptoms (OR = 3.54, 95%CI = 1.23–10.1) and living alone (OR = 2.44, 95%CI = 1.17–5.06) were significantly associated with P-FoF vs No-FoF. When comparing T-FoF and P-FoF, female gender (OR = 1.95, 95%CI = 1.16–3.27), BMI (OR = 1.08, 95%CI = 1.02–1.14), overall comorbidity (OR = 1.07, 95%CI = 1.02–1.13) and depression (OR = 2.55, 95%CI = 1.33–4.88) were significant predictors of P-FoF. Conclusions T-FoF and P-FoF may be predicted by different sets of risk factors among older fallers. Thus, fallers should be screened for FoF especially when carrying specific risk factors, including female gender, osteoporosis, depression, living alone, impaired physical performance, BMI, comorbidity. These findings may be helpful in designing tailored intervention to blunt the risks related to consequence of FoF among older people experiencing falls. Trial registration The SCOPE study was registered prospectively at clinicaltrials.gov (NCT02691546; 25/02/2016).

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 89%

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 76%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Transient versus stable nature of fear of falling over 24 months in community-older persons with falls– data of the EU SCOPE project on Kidney function

Freiberger

Fabbietti²,

Corsonello³

et al. 2022

BMC Geriatr

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“…Among the adjustment variables included in the studies, sex, age, comorbidities, history of falls in the past year, and body mass index were the most commonly used. MacKay et al, 30 in a recent scoping review, observed that female sex, history of falls, low physical performance, and depressive symptoms were the factors most associated with FoF. This finding reinforces the importance of including these variables in association models encompassing the FoF variable.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 83%

Association Between Fear of Falling and Frailty in Community-Dwelling Older Adults: A Systematic Review

LF¹,

JB²,

Moreira³

et al. 2022

CIA

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Background/Objective: Fear of falling (FoF) and frailty are common problems in older adults. FoF can lead to self-imposed restriction of activities and then further decline in physical capacities that predispose older adults to frailty. Evaluating the association of these two geriatric syndromes may be the first step for understanding their complex relationship and might ultimately lead to establishing therapeutic goals and guiding treatments for older adults with frailty. This systematic review was conducted to provide evidence regarding the association between FoF and frailty. Methods: All the articles that provided information on the association between FoF and frailty were selected from PubMed, Scopus, CINAHL, and EMBASE in search of relevant papers. Articles reporting information on the association between FoF (exposure) and frailty (outcome), with older adults (age ≥60 years) living in the community (ie, living either at home or in places of residence that do not provide nursing care or rehabilitation) were included. Only original articles with observational design (cross-sectional or longitudinal/cohort) were included. The methodological quality of included articles was evaluated independently by the two assessors through the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS) and the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) critical appraisal checklist for longitudinal and crosssectional studies, respectively. Results: The initial searches found 4,342 articles, of which 10 articles were included in this review: 7 cross-sectional and 2 longitudinal studies, and 1 study with cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses. The total sample was composed of 6,294 community-dwelling older adults (61.8% women). Among the longitudinal studies, adjusted odds ratios ranged from 1.18 (95% CI = 1.02; 1.36) to 9.87 (95% CI = 5.22; 18.68), while the adjusted odds ratios of the cross-sectional studies ranged from 1.04 (95% CI = 1.02; 1.07) to 7.16 (95% CI = 2.34; 21.89). Conclusion: FoF increases the risk of frailty in community-dwelling older adults. The knowledge of this association is of utmost importance in clinical practice, since it can help health professionals in the development of rehabilitation, prevention, and health promotion protocols. In addition, these findings can contribute to the development of public health policies and actions aimed at reducing the FoF and consequently the frailty. Prospero: CRD42021276775.

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“…have not yet experienced a fall (MacKay et al, 2021;Peeters et al, 2020). FOF has become one of the most common psychological problems in older adults (Hoang et al, 2017).…”

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confidence: 99%

Association of Fear of Falling With Cognition and Physical Function in Community-Dwelling Older Adults

Wang

et al. 2022

Nursing Research

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Background: Fear of falling (FOF) might be associated with physical and cognitive function, but there is a lack of understanding of the specific relationship between the three variables.Objectives: The aim of this study was to accurately investigate the association of FOF with cognitive and physical function in community-dwelling older adults.Methods: Six hundred sixty-nine older adults (>60 years old) participated in this study. A self-report questionnaire collected information about demographic characteristics, lifestyle, and behavioral habits. FOF was evaluated through the Shortened Version of the Falls Efficacy Scale International. Global cognitive function and the subdomains of cognitive function (including memory, visual-spatial, language, attention, and executive function) were assessed using the Montreal Cognitive Assessment scale, the Auditory Verbal Learning Test, the Clock Drawing Test (CDT), the Verbal Fluency Test, and the Trail Making Test. Subjective memory complaints were assessed using the Subjective Memory Complaints Questionnaire. Physical function was evaluated by measuring muscle strength and balance ability, and muscle strength was indicated by hand grip strength. In contrast, balance was assessed using the Timed Up and Go (TUG) Test.Results: After adjustment for potential confounding factors, the linear or ordinal regression analysis showed that the values of hand grip strength, Montreal Cognitive Assessment, Auditory Verbal Learning Test, and CDT were significantly and negatively correlated with the score of FOF. On the other hand, Subjective Memory Complaints Questionnaire and TUG Test values showed significant positive correlations with FOF scores. Moreover, compared with other cognitive or physical measures, the CDT and TUG Test values showed a greater association with the FOF scores.Discussion: Low subjective or objective cognitive ability and low physical function, especially low visuospatial and balance ability, were positively associated with the risk of FOF in a community-dwelling older population.

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Fear of Falling in Older Adults: A Scoping Review of Recent Literature

Cited by 46 publications

References 66 publications

Transient versus stable nature of fear of falling over 24 months in community-older persons with falls– data of the EU SCOPE project on Kidney function

Transient versus stable nature of fear of falling over 24 months in community-older persons with falls– data of the EU SCOPE project on Kidney function

Association Between Fear of Falling and Frailty in Community-Dwelling Older Adults: A Systematic Review

Association of Fear of Falling With Cognition and Physical Function in Community-Dwelling Older Adults

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