Prevalence of fear of falling and associated factors among Japanese community-dwelling older adults

Abstract

To determine the prevalence of fear of falling and associated factors among Japanese community-dwelling older adults.Cross-sectional study between 2011 and 2013.Community in which residents voluntarily attended a health examination.We recruited 844 older adults (male, n = 350; female, n = 494) aged 60 to 92 years from among those who presented at the health examination.We assessed fear of falling, falls in the previous year, pain, comorbidity, and cataracts. Five times chair stand time was applied as an indicator of physical performance.The prevalence of fear of falling was 26.9% and 43.3% among the men and women, respectively. Men and women who feared falling were older (P < .01), had longer 5 times chair stand time (P < .01), and more falls in the previous year (P < .05), pain (P < .01), and comorbidity (P < .05). Multivariate logistic regression analysis identified advanced age (odds ratios [OR], 1.57; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.03–2.39), falls in the previous year (OR, 2.44; 95%CI, 1.29–4.64), and pain (OR, 1.82; 95%CI, 1.03–3.22) in men, and advanced age (OR, 1.59; 95%CI, 1.13–2.24), longer 5 times chair stand times (OR, 1.28; 95%CI, 1.04–1.59), falls in the previous year (OR, 2.59; 95%CI, 1.54–4.34), and pain (OR, 1.65; 95%CI, 1.06–2.55) in women as being independently associated with fear of falling.The prevalence of fear of falling was similar to previous reports. Advanced age, falls in previous year, and pain were associated with fear of falling in men. A longer 5 times chair stand time was also associated with fear of falling among older adult women. Maintenance of physical function and pain management might be important for older adults with fear of falling.

Fear of falling among Brazilian and Portuguese older adults

“…In others’ studies, “high concern” prevalence among older Brazilians has ranged from 51.9% to 95.2% (Cruz, Duque, & Leite, ; Malini et al, ; Moreira et al, ). However, other studies from India, Japan and Italy contradict our findings, with lower prevalence of FOF that ranged from 33.2% to 50% (Deshpande et al, ; Mane, Sanjana, Patil, & Sriniwas, ; Tomita et al, ).…”

Falls, fear of falling and related factors in community‐dwelling individuals aged 80 and over in Turkey

“…The difference in frequency may also be caused by recall bias based on retrospective data collection or the use of different assessment tools. Older people's fear of falling frequency is between 43.3% and 86% . A study conducted in the Netherlands with people aged 80 or over found a rate of fear of falling of 65.6% .…”

“…Older people's fear of falling frequency is between 43.3% and 86%. 17,20,26 A study conducted in the Netherlands with people aged 80 or over found a rate of fear of falling of 65.6%. 27 The fall frequency found by our study is higher than those of other studies.…”

Instruments for assessing adverse events associated with the use of geriatric diapers

“…To do so, it analyzes the following activities: control of the intestine, bladder, personal hygiene, transfer of hygiene, transfer of bathtub, food, clothing, transport of wheelchair to bed, walk and go up and down stairs. The total score can range from zero (dependent) to 100 (fully independent) (9)(10) . For Portuguese, the use of this scale was validated in the context of outpatient care, with a reliability of 0.88 (28) , although not associated to the study of diaper use.…”

“…Another system that evaluates the independence in the execution of activities is the Care Ensure System, not yet translated or validated into Portuguese; it evaluates the need for toilet assistance, including removal of clothing and cleaning of the skin area in contact with the diapers. The levels of necessary care punctuated in this instrument include: level 2 for moderate care; level 3, significant care; level 4, intensive care; and level 5, the maximum care (10) .…”