Epidemiology of falls in the elderly in Spain: a systematic review, 2007

Falls in the elderly are a serious problem that results in large health care expenditures. To prevent them, it has been shown that the key is an epidemiologic knowledge of the target population. The purpose of this systematic review was to identify the incidence, risk factors and consequences of falls in the Spanish population, by analyzing the methodological quality of studies that provide these data. Two independent authors identified 54 studies through manual and electronic means (MEDLINE, Dialnet, Tesis en Red, TESEO y CSIC [ICYT, IME, ISOC]). A total of 13 studies performed in Spain with non-hospitalized elderly individuals older than 64 years of age were selected and assessed for their methodological quality. We found heterogeneity in the characteristics and quality of the studies, and a general inadequacy of data analyses. The risk factors and consequences must be viewed with caution, since in most of the studies a causal inference cannot be made. We showed that the current fall rates are at the same level as those of the first epidemiologic study published 15 years ago. We conclude that Spain has a high incidence of falls and needs studies on risk factors directed toward cause and effect in the community and comparisons among nursing homes. Finally, the physical, psychosocial and economic consequences must be investigated more thoroughly.     

Falls and psychosocial factors among community-dwelling elderly persons: a review and integration of findings from Israel

Falls are the most common of all accident events among persons aged 65 and over who dwell in the community. The impact of falls on the well-being of the elderly is generally reported solely in terms of the resulting injury or mortality. However, this fails to reflect adequately the effect of falls on the psychological well-being of elderly persons and their ability to maintain independent function. This paper reviews the current associations found in the literature with respect to psychosocial factors and falls and integrates these findings with current research from Israel which shows that level of social contact with family and friends in negatively associated with fall incidence. Psychosocial factors are divided into antecedents of falls (risk factors), consequences of falls (outcomes), and factors that have been shown to be both antecedents and consequences of falls. The factors most consistently associated with falls are living alone, depression, fear of falls, and poor subjective health rating. These findings are discussed in light of stressful events and health.     

重庆市老年人多次跌倒发生率及相关因素分析

目的 了解重庆市65岁及以上老年人过去1年多次跌倒发生率及相关因素,为开展干预工作提供建议.方法 在4个区县采用多阶段分层整群随机抽样抽取65岁及以上老年人进行问卷调查.多次跌倒发生率的比较采用x2检验,多次跌倒发生的相关因素采用多因素logistic回归分析.结果 共计调查1607人,平均年龄(72.36±6.27)...     

The construction of a patient record-based risk model for recurrent falls among elderly people living in the community

BACKGROUND: Predictive models of fall risk in the elderly living in the community may contribute to the identification of elderly at risk for recurrent falling. OBJECTIVES: Our aim was to investigate occurrence, determinants and health consequences of falls in a community-dwelling elderly population and the contribution of data from patient records to a risk model of recurrent falls. METHODS: A population survey was carried out using a postal questionnaire. The questionnaire on occurrence, determinants and health consequences of falls was sent to 2744 elderly persons of 70 years and over, registered in four general practices (n = 27 000). Data were analysed by bivariate techniques and logistic regression. RESULTS: A total of 1660 (60%) responded. Falls (> or =1 fall) in the previous year were reported by 44%: one-off falls by 25% and recurrent falls (> or =2 falls) by 19%. Women had significantly more falls than men. Major injury was reported by 8% of the fallers; minor injury by 49%. Treatment of injuries was by the GP in 67% of cases. From logistic regression, a risk model for recurrent falls, consisting of the risk factors female gender, age 80 years or over, presence of a chronic neurological disorder, use of antidepressants, problems of balance and sense organs and complaints of muscles and joints was developed. The model predicted recurrent falls with a sensitivity of 64%, a specificity of 71%, a positive predictive value of 42% and a negative predictive value of 86%. CONCLUSION: A risk model consisting of six variables usually known to the GP from the patient records may be a useful tool in the identification of elderly people living in the community at risk for recurrent falls.     

北京市社区老年人跌倒发生现况及危险因素分析

目的 了解北京市社区老年人跌倒的发生特点与规律,并对造成跌倒发生的危险因素进行分析,为进一步开展老年人跌倒的预防工作提供依据.方法 本次调查覆盖北京市某街道所辖的12个社区,在每个社区内符合条件的60岁及以上老年人中,采用系统抽样方法分别抽取100名老年人进行人户调查.结果 在被调查的老年人中,1年内共有169位老年人发生过258次跌倒,跌倒发生率为15.6％,其中男性跌倒发生率为14.7％ (96人次),女性跌倒发生率为16.4％(162人次);老年人跌倒大多发生在室内.不同性别的老年人跌倒发生地点的构成差异有统计学意义(x2=8.05,P=0.045);社区老年人跌倒损伤部位以四肢最多见,其次为躯干和头面部,导致内脏损伤较少见,只有5人,不同性别的老年人跌伤部位的构成差异有统计学意义(x2=7.99,P=0.046);年龄高(OR=2.395,95％ CI:1.902～3.001)、担心跌伤(OR=1.433,95％ CI:1.120～1.833)、家庭不和睦(OR=1.238,95％ CI:1.047～2.049)为社区老年人跌倒的危险因素.结论 北京市社区老年人跌倒发生率较高,严重威胁着老年人的身心健康.     

Falls among the elderly: epidemiology and prevention

Harmful psychological and physical consequences may result when elderly people fall. I summarize the epidemiology of falls among elderly people and focus on three potentially remediable causes of falls: reduced peripheral neurosensation, the use of psychoactive medication, and environmental hazards. From 1960 to 1980, death rates from falls among white persons 75 years of age and older have decreased by more than 50%. Fall rates among community-dwelling elderly people increase with age and are greater for women than men. The death rates from falls, however, are now greater for men than women. Reduced peripheral neurosensation in the lower extremities may be a significant cause of falls among the elderly. Recreational walking or physical therapy may improve these deficits and lead to fewer falls. The use of psychoactive medications, most commonly benzodiazepine sedatives, is possibly associated with an increased risk of falls and hip fractures; greater caution in the use of these medications is warranted. The elimination or redesign of steps and curbs and the provision of hand railings and walking aids may be the most effective environmental approaches to preventing falls. These conclusions need further study in community-dwelling elderly populations.     

老年人跌倒及其后果的调查分析

目的：了解中国老年人跌到问题的基本信息,包括人口学资料、跌倒的发生率和后果,方法：共调查415人,运用访谈、观察和查阅病历的方法收集资料。结果：老年人年跌倒发生率为14％,其中6．3％发生骨折,多数跌倒有软组织损伤、暂时性日常活动水平下降和害怕再次跌倒等心理反应。结论：老年人跌倒的发生率和跌倒致伤率高。即使为非致命性损伤,亦可能引发致命性或严重功能能障碍性并发症,跌倒往往导致老人生理,心理和生社功能状态的减退,是威胁老人生命和健康康的重要的危险因素,故应积极春流行病学、有关的危险因素和有效的预防措施,跌倒的发生率是否存在种族或化背景的差异还需要进一步的调查。     

Does mortality of the aged increase with the number of falls? Results from a nine-year follow-up study

The objective of the study was to examine the predictive effect of prospectively registered falls on survival within a randomly selected group of elderly women. A longitudinal study, with 9 years follows up after 1 year prospective fall registration was designed. Persons age 75 or more living in the community. A total of 300 Norwegian women; mean age was 80.8 participated in the study. Base-line registrations of health, functioning and medication were made. Falls which occurred during a 1-year period after baseline were registered as well as the date of death within a 9-year period after the end of the fall registration period. Half of the women reported one or more falls (1–11). Eighty-six women (28.7%) experienced only one fall and 65 (21.7%) had at least two. During the 9-year follow-up period, 41.7% died. Cox regression analyzes demonstrated that frequent falling, old age and a self-reported worsening of health were significantly associated with mortality during the follow-up period. Their relative risks of death when experiencing at least two falls was 1.6 (95% CI 1.1–2.4), P = 0.04, when compared with no falls. Older fallers appear to have markedly increased mortality. Since falls are common among elderly people, this is a relevant fact for public health policy. Increasing age, poor self-rated health and high frequency of falls predict independently mortality in our 9 years follow up study. Because women represent the largest proportion of the elderly and falls are amendable, fall preventive may have the potential for significant impact on increasing year of life.     

苏州市某社区居家老年人跌倒危险因素分析

目的 探讨苏州市某社区居家老年人跌倒现状及危险因素,为社区跌倒预防工作提供参考.方法 采用方便抽样的方法,于2018年4—7月选取苏州市某社区60岁及以上居家养老的375名老年人为研究对象,采用Logistic回归模型分析跌倒的危险因素.结果 65名居家老年人在一年内发生过跌倒,发生率为17.33％,午饭后到晚饭间是老...     

Home hazards and falls in the elderly: the role of health and functional status.

OBJECTIVES. This study was undertaken to determine whether vigorous and frail older people who identify environmental hazards in their homes have an increased risk for falls. METHODS. A 1-year prospective study was conducted among 266 female and 59 male community-dwelling volunteers aged 60 to 93 years who had fallen at least once during the previous year. Composite measures of home safety and of frailty were derived using principal components analysis. Participants were divided into vigorous and frail groups, and associations between baseline home safety measures and falls at home over the follow-up year were compared between the two groups. RESULTS. Frail individuals were more than twice as likely as vigorous individuals to fall during follow-up (rate ratio [RR] = 2.24; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.54, 3.27). In the study group as a whole, falls were not strongly associated with the presence of home hazards. However, when compared with vigorous older persons living with fewer home hazards, vigorous older persons living with more home hazards were more likely to fall. The increased risk for falls among vigorous elderly was limited to falls where home hazards were present. By contrast, living with more home hazards was not associated with increased likelihood of falls among frail older persons. CONCLUSIONS. While frail older persons experience higher overall fall rates, vigorous older persons should not be overlooked in fall prevention projects.     

2018年武汉市老年人跌倒伤害及其影响因素

目的探讨武汉市老年人跌倒现状和影响因素,为预防老年人跌倒提供科学依据。方法通过问卷调查和健康体检收集2018年武汉市65岁以上老年人免费体检数据387 476条,采用SAS 9.4软件进行描述性分析、χ^2检验和多因素Logistic回归分析。结果 2018年老年人跌倒报告率为3.44%,城市(4.42%)高于农村(2.39%),女性(4.22%)高于男性(2.47%);家中是老年人跌倒的好发地点(占46.48%);最常见的跌倒伤害性质为扭伤/拉伤(占31.07%);多因素分析表明,跌倒的主要危险因素有女性,轻中度依赖的生活自理能力,运动能力减弱-双手不能放脑后、不能捡起地上物品,骨关节疾病,眼部疾病,脑卒中(均有P<0.05)。结论 2018年武汉市65岁以上老年人过去一年内跌倒伤害的报告率为3.44%,生活自理能力减弱、运动能力减弱、患骨关节疾病、眼部疾病、脑卒中是老年人跌倒的重要危险因素。     

Correlates of falling during 24 h among elderly Danish community residents

OBJECTIVES: To identify dietary, medical, and environmental correlates of falling during the last 24 h among elderly community residents. The limited accuracy of recall of falls in the elderly in previous studies was the reason for a 24-h time frame. METHODS: The study composes 4281 community residents aged 66+ years. The statistical analyses included Pearson's chi(2) test and multiple logistic regression. RESULTS: Mutually independent correlates of falls were a family history of fracture (OR, 3.0; 95% CI: 1.3-7.1); osteoarthrosis of the knee (OR, 2.9; 95% CI: 1.3-6.2); dizziness (OR, 4.1; 95% CI: 1.9-8.9); a diet not including sour dairy products (OR, 3.0; 95% CI: 1.4-6.3) or fish (OR, 3.4; 95% CI: 1.5-7.5); drinking tea (OR, 5.8; 95% CI 2.15-15.30); needing help for shopping (OR, 3.9; 95% CI: 1.6-9.3); and for administration of medicine (OR, 9.0; 95% CI: 2.0-40.6). Independent environmental correlates were vinyl on the floor in the bathroom (OR, 6.6; 95% CI: 2.1-20.9) and using indoor footwear without soles (OR, 5.5; 95% CI: 2.3-13.4). CONCLUSION: The present analyses suggest that several factors are associated to the risk of falling among elderly community residents. It appears relevant for further studies to test if modifications of the potential risk factors identified may reduce falls among community dwelling older persons.     

天津、唐山养老机构老年人跌倒现况及其影响因素研究

目的 分析天津、唐山两地养老机构老年人发生跌倒的现况及其影响因素,为采取有效措施减少跌倒发生提供理论依据。方法 采用便利抽样法,选取唐山市和天津市8所养老机构内490位老年人为研究对象,调查其在调查日前过去一年内发生跌倒的情况。采用一般资料调查表、Barthel指数、Morse跌倒评估量表和焦虑自评量表收集资料。采用x2检验或Fisher确切概率法进行比较。采用logistic回归分析养老机构老年人发生跌倒的影响因素。结果 223位（45.5%）老年人在调查日前一年内发生跌倒。多因素分析结果显示,年龄90~95岁（x2=4.744,P=0.029）、是否害怕跌倒（x2=14.769,P＜0.001）、跌倒风险（x2=94.526,P＜0.001）、日常生活轻度依赖（x2=6.691,P=0.010）、护理人员对老年人进行跌倒评估（x2=12.613,P＜0.001）和经常提醒老年人注意预防跌倒（SymbolcA@²=18.828,P＜0.001）是跌倒发生的影响因素。结论 养老机构老年人跌倒发生率较高,可通过进行跌倒风险评估等方式减少养老机构老年人跌倒的发生。     

上海市青浦区60岁及以上老年人跌倒风险评估及相关危险因素分析*

摘要 目的 探讨上海市青浦区60岁及以上老年人跌倒风险以及相关危险因素的分布,为探索预防老年人跌倒防控措施的制定提供科学依据。方法 采用多阶段分层随机抽样的方法,抽取920名老年人作为研究对象,对其2016年8月—2017年7月发生的跌倒情况进行回顾性问卷调查。结果 920名调查对象中,跌倒发生率为8.50%,其中男性跌倒发生率为5.10%, 女性跌倒发生率为11.50%;不同性别跌倒发生率差异有统计学意义(X2=11.9,P＜0.00);年龄分层分析结果显示,70岁及以上年龄组跌倒发生率明显高于70岁以下年龄组（X2?=10.66, P=0.001）;多因素logistic回归分析显示：走路或者站立困难、感觉触觉下降、有足部疾病、患有3种或以上的慢性病、有骨骼、关节等骨骼肌肉系统损害或疾病是社区老年人跌倒发生的危险因素,相对于女性,男性不易发生跌倒。结论 青浦区老年人发生跌倒潜在风险依然较高,应针对患有多种慢性疾病、骨质疏松和触觉下降等的老年人制定综合干预措施。     

慢性病对中老年人跌倒伤害影响的队列研究

目的:分析慢性病对我国中老年人跌倒伤害风险的影响。方法:数据来源于中国健康与养老追踪调查（CHARLS）,以2011年基线调查募集的13 670名≥45岁中老年人作为研究对象并追踪至2018年,其中45~59岁中年人7 443例（54.45%）,≥60岁老年人6 227例（45.55%）。采用Cox比例风险模型分析不同...     

A risk model for the prediction of recurrent falls in community-dwelling elderly: a prospective cohort study

The object of this article was to determine the predictive value of risk factors for recurrent falls and the construction of a fall risk model as a contribution to a mobility assessment for the identification of community-dwelling elderly at risk for recurrent falling in general practice. The design was a prospective cohort study (n = 311). There were four primary health care centers. A sample stratified on previous falls, age, and gender of community-dwelling elderly persons aged 70 years or over (n = 311) was taken from the respondents to a mail questionnaire (n = 1660). They were visited at home to assess physical and mental health, balance and gait, mobility and strength. A 36-week follow-up with telephone calls every 6 weeks was conducted. Falls and fall injuries were measured. During follow-up 197 falls were reported by 33% of the participants: one fall by 17% and two or more falls by 16%. Injury due to a fall was reported by 45% of the fallers: 2% hip fractures, 4% other fractures, and 39% minor injuries. A fall risk model for the prediction of recurrent falls with an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.79, based on logistic regression analysis, showed that the main determinants for recurrent falls were: an abnormal postural sway (OR 3.9; 95% Cl 1.3-12.1), two or more falls in the previous year (OR 3.1; 95% Cl 1.5-6.7), low scores for hand grip strength (OR 3.1; 95% Cl 1.5-6.6), and a depressive state of mind (OR 2.2; 95% CI 1.1-4.5). To facilitate the use of the model for clinical practice, the model was converted to a "desk model" with three risk categories: low risk (0-1 predictor), moderate risk (two predictors), and high risk (> or =3 predictors). A fall risk model converted to a "desk model," consisting of the predictors postural sway, fall history, hand dynamometry, and depression, provides added value in the identification of community-dwelling elderly at risk for recurrent falling and facilitates the prediction of recurrent falls.     

Falls in community‐dwelling prefrail older adults

Frailty has been established as a risk factor for falls, and prefrailty also seems a risk; however, few studies have focused on the association between falls and each of the five components of frailty proposed by Fried. In the present study, we sought to elucidate the association between prefrailty and falls, and moreover, the association of frailty component with falls. Participants were community‐dwelling older people who had cognitive complaints but not dementia (N = 447, male 54.6%). Prefrailty was defined as exhibiting one or two of the five Fried criteria. Frail individuals were excluded. Background characteristics were compared between the prefrail and robust groups, and multiple regression analysis was performed to investigate the associations between fall history within the past year and factors that were significantly different between the groups. We also performed logistic regression analysis with adjustment for age, education and gender to assess associations with frailty components. We found that prefrailty was associated with fall history. Depressed mood was also significantly associated with fall history. Among the five frailty criteria, exhaustion was significantly associated with falls. Prefrailty, especially the criteria of exhaustion, and depressed mood were associated with fall history.     

Epidemiologische Analyse von Sturzunfällen im Kindesalter (<15 Jahre) Konsequenzen für die Prävention

In Germany, the database on falls among children (<15 years) is insufficient because there is no systematic, population-based monitoring of injuries according to location, type and mechanism. This analysis will compile relevant data on fall injuries among children in Germany and define risk groups, risk factors and typical accident mechanisms according to the frequency and severity of fall injuries. Results: In 1998, 31 children (<15 years) (N=655) died through falls, in most cases by falling from a building (n=8). Around 700,000 children are estimated to have required medical treatment for falls, approx. 120,000 of them being hospitalized. Fall injuries show an age- and environment-specific accident pattern. Most of the falls among infants and toddlers are from changing tables, children's beds, high chairs and stairs. Among school-age children, falls occur most frequently at school (during break and physical education lessons) and during leisure activities (skating, cycling). These facts should form the basis for prevention measures targeting behaviour and health conditions.     

Identifying factors related to the diagnosis "risk of falls" among the elderly in a microarea

Considering that falls, among the elderly, represent a relevant public health issue, this study aims at identifying factors related to the nursing diagnosis "risk of falls" among 51 elderly people who reside in a microarea. Results have showed that all the elderly had the nursing diagnosis "risk of falls" related to many intrinsic and extrinsic factors. The knowledge of this population's needs shows how important the adoption of educational, individual and collective measures aiming the maintenance of their health level is.