Social status, life changes, housing conditions, health, functional abilitiesand life-style as risk factors for recurrent falls among the home-dwelling elderly

Objective

To define the risk factors for recurrent falls in the home-dwelling elderly.

Design

A prospective population-based study covering two years.

Setting

Five rural municipalities around the city Oulu, northern Finland.

Participants

All home-dwelling elderly persons (N = 1,016) aged 70 years or older living in the municipalities.

Outcome measures

The risk factors of recurrent falling by variables related to social status, life changes,housing conditions, health, functional abilities and life style, using cross-tabulations and multivariate analyses.

Results

The recurrent fallers (at least two falls within 365 days after the examination day) consisted of 17 men (6% of the men) and 71 women (14%). Logistic regression analyses showed female sex, urinary urgency, frequent fear of falling, dizziness, a poor pulse rate rise 30 seconds after standing up and falling during the previous year to be risk factors for recurrent falls. After the variable representing previous falls had been removed from the analysis, urinary incontinence and a change in housing conditions during the past two years emerged and urinary urgency dropped out of the model.

Conclusions

Women particularly are a target group for the prevention of falls among the elderly. Urinary urgency and urinary incontinence, fear of falling, dizziness and changes in the housing conditions should be inquired about to identify the elderly at risk for falling and to take preventive interventions. In addition to testing blood pressure changes after standing up, the changes in pulse rate should be determined to identify and treat elderly people who have orthostatic conditions.     

Cohort study of institutionalized elderly people: fall risk factors from the nursing diagnosis

Objective:

to determine the incidence of falls in elderly residents of long-stay institutions of the Federal District, to identify the aspects involved in the falls, in terms of risk factors, from the application of scales and the Taxonomy II of NANDA-I, and to define the level of accuracy with its sensitivity and specificity for application in the clinical nursing practice.

Method:

this was a cohort study with the evaluation of 271 elderly people. Cognition, functionality, mobility and other intrinsic factors were evaluated. After six months, the elderly people who fell were identified, with significance analysis then performed to define the risk factors.

Results:

the results showed an incidence of 41%. Of the 271 patients included, 69 suffered 111 episodes of falls during the monitoring period. Risk factors were the presence of stroke with its sequelae (OR: 1.82, 95% CI 1.01 - 3.28, p=.045), presenting more than five chronic diseases (OR: 2.82, 95% CI 1.43 - 5.56, p=.0028), foot problem (OR: 2.45, 95% CI 1.35 - 4.44, p=.0033) and motion (OR: 2.04, 95% CI 1.15 - 3.61, p=.0145).

Conclusion:

the taxonomy has high validity regarding the detection of elderly people at risk of falling and should be applied consistently in the clinical nursing practice.     

Better functional mobility in community-dwelling elderly is related to D-hormone serum levels and to daily calcium intake

The influence of calcitropic hormones on functional mobility has been studied in vitamin D (calcidiol) deficient elderly or elderly with a history of falls, however, data in community-dwelling independent vitamin D replete elderly are missing. We therefore assessed in an observational survey the association of calcidiol (25(OH)D3) and calcitriol (D-hormone / 1,25(OH)2D3) status as well as of daily calcium intake on functional mobility in older subjects We evaluated 192 women and 188 men, aged superior 70 years and living independently. Average Timed-up and go test (TUG-test) in seconds was taken as measure of functional mobility. Calcidiol and D-hormone serum concentrations and daily calcium intake were studied in multivariate controlled linear regression models with TUG-test performance as the dependent variable and/or as dichotomous variables (deficient vs. non-deficient, above vs. below the median, respectively). Subjects with low D-hormone serum concentrations took significantly more time to perform the TUG-test (low = 7.70s +/- 2.52 SD ; high = 6.70s +/- 1.29 SD; p = 0.004). In the linear multivariate controlled regression model increased D-hormone serum concentrations predicted better TUG-test performance (estimate -0.0007, p = 0.044). Participants with a calcium intake of > or =512 mg/day were significantly faster to perform the TUG-test than participants with a daily calcium intake of <512 mg/day (estimate:-0.43, p = 0.007). Other significant predictors of better TUG-test performance in both models were: male gender, less comorbid conditions, younger age, lower BMI, iPTH serum levels and creatinine clearance. Calcidiol serum levels were not associated with TUG-test performance. Higher D-hormone status and a calcium intake of > or =512 mg/day in community-dwelling independent older persons are significant determinants of better functional mobility. Therefore, to ensure optimal functional mobility, the care of older persons should address correction of D-hormone deficiency and increasing daily calcium intake.     

Characteristics and predictors of falls in elderly patients.

BACKGROUND. Poor performance on mobility testing is one of a number of factors associated with increased falls in community-dwelling elderly. The significance of these associations has not previously been tested in a sample drawn exclusively from a primary care practice. METHODS. This 1-year prospective study recorded falls, fall injuries, and related factors in 120 ambulatory geriatric outpatients of a family medicine practice. The association of mobility score, physician's estimate of mobility score, physician's estimate of likelihood to fall, and other fall risk factors was assessed with whether participants fell. Subjects recorded falls and injuries on weekly postcards. Follow-up by telephone was done to ensure compliance. RESULTS. Thirty-seven (36%) of the 102 participants who completed the study fell once or more. There were 56 total falls, of which 27 (48%) caused injuries. Thirty-six (64% of total) falls occurred in or around the subject's home, and significantly more (chi 2 = 10.93, P less than .001) of these falls had intrinsic causes compared with falls away from home. Prestudy history of subject's falls was significantly associated with subjects' falls during the study, although its sensitivity was only 41%. All other factors studied, including mobility score and the physician's estimates, were not significantly associated with fall status. CONCLUSIONS. This study did not support the use of risk-factor determination to select primary care patients who should be assessed further for fall risk. The high prevalence of falls and injuries in this sample suggests that all elderly patients should be given fall prevention advice.     

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.     

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。     

Relationship between malnutrition and falls in the elderly.

Due to the multifactorial nature of falls in the elderly population, it is difficult to determine causal relationships for risk factors for falls. In some cases, other risk factors may play a role. For example, the association between poor nutrition status and falls has not been studied extensively. The association of commonly demonstrated nutritional deficiencies in the elderly with factors such as balance, gait, and mobility may lead to new insights into causes of falls in the elderly not previously established. In this article, we review how malnutrition can be a risk factor for falls, how falls can induce malnutrition, and the possible relationship between mobility and nutrition in the elderly.     

Prevalence of falls in elderly in Brazil: a countrywide analysis

We conducted a cross-sectional study of a sample of 6,616 elderly living in urban areas of 100 municipalities in 23 Brazilian states, who responded to questions on the occurrence of falls in the 12 months prior to the interview, and occurrence of fractures due to the falls. The prevalence of falls among the elderly was 27.6% (95%CI: 26.5-28.7). Among those reporting falls, 11% had suffered fractures as a result. Of the elderly, 36% had received guidance about the precautions necessary to prevent falls, and about 1% had required surgery. Falls were associated with female gender, older age, low socioeconomic status, obesity and sedentary lifestyles. The prevalence of falls differed significantly between the North and other regions of Brazil. The study shows a high prevalence of falls, and underlines the need for preventive strategies targeting modifiable risk factors.     

广东省老年人跌倒及其影响因素和平衡能力受损现况

  目的  调查广东省社区老年人跌倒和平衡能力受损现状及跌倒影响因素。  方法  采用多阶段分层整群随机抽样的方法进行抽样调查,共有5 503名≥60岁老年人纳入分析。采用χ2检验分析老年人跌倒发生率和平衡能力受损率在不同特征老年人之间的差异,采用多因素Logistic回归分析模型分析跌倒的影响因素。  结果  本研究中老年人过去1年的跌倒发生率为11.90%,平衡能力受损率为58.37%。跌倒和平衡能力受损情况在女性、农村、文盲、无配偶和独居的老年人中较为常见(均有P＜0.05)。多因素分析显示,女性跌倒的危险性较男性高,跌倒发生情况随年龄的增加而愈发严重。农村老年人跌倒危险性高于城市老年人。老年人在家走动或做家务时最常发生跌倒(35.11%),因跌倒造成擦伤/挫伤、骨折、扭伤/拉伤、脑震荡/脑挫裂伤和其他受伤类型的比例分别为55.77%、22.22%、17.09%、1.07%和3.85%。  结论  广东省社区老年人在过去1年内发生跌倒的情况较多,平衡能力受损现状严重,应加强对老年人的防跌倒健康宣教和以家庭防护为主的综合干预措施。     

Falls and subjective health rating among the elderly: evidence from two Israeli samples

Prevention and treatment of falls in the elderly is one of the challenges facing practitioners today. Falls are known to be associated with health status and demographic variables, however relatively little is known about how falls affect the health perceptions of elderly persons. Data from two Israeli samples were analyzed to examine the relationship between reported falls and self-rated health. The first sample was collected in 1978 in home interviews from 96% of residents aged 65 and over of the town of Kiryat Ono (N = 1276). The second sample was collected from a national probability sample of 3494 urban Israelis in 1985, in home interviews. One-year incidence of falls was estimated from both samples at 23-24% for those over 65. Data from both samples showed that recent falls are negatively associated with subjective health rating. In Kiryat Ono, falls interacted with reported chronic conditions, so that the effect of a fall on subjective health status was only apparent in those with few chronic conditions. Among those who reported 4 or more chronic conditions, the occurrence of a fall had no independent effect on subjective health rating. In multivariate analyses of the national data, falls, and particularly those that happened in the home, or that required a visit to the emergency room had a negative effect on subjective health rating, after adjustment for age, sex, education, mobility and visual impairments and use of sleeping pills.     

Vitamin D deficiency, muscle function, and falls in elderly people

An inadequate serum vitamin D status is commonly seen in elderly people as the result of various risk factors interacting in this population. Apart from the well-known effects on bone metabolism, this condition is also associated with muscle weakness, predominantly of the proximal muscle groups. Muscle weakness below a certain threshold affects functional ability and mobility, which puts an elderly person at increased risk of falling and fractures. Therefore, we wanted to determine the rationale behind vitamin D supplementation in elderly people to preserve and possibly improve muscle strength and subsequently functional ability. From experimental studies it was found that vitamin D metabolites directly influence muscle cell maturation and functioning through a vitamin D receptor. Vitamin D supplementation in vitamin D-deficient, elderly people improved muscle strength, walking distance, and functional ability and resulted in a reduction in falls and non-vertebral fractures.In healthy elderly people, muscle strength declined with age and was not prevented by vitamin D supplementation. In contrast,severe comorbidity might affect muscle strength in such a way that restoration of a good vitamin D status has a limited effect on functional ability. Additional research is needed to further clarify to what extent vitamin D supplementation can preserve muscle strength and prevent falls and fractures in elderly people.     

Racial and ethnic disparities in self‐assessed health status: Evidence from the national survey of families and households

We examined racial and ethnic disparities in global health assessment and functional limitations of daily activities among whites, blacks and Hispanics, and within the Hispanic origin among Mexicans, Puerto Ricans, Cubans, and ‘Others’. Logistic regressions were employed to estimate the log odds of reporting ‘poor health’ and ‘having functional limitations’ among 12 814 respondents from the 1987—1988 National Survey of Families and Households. Compared with whites, blacks had an increased risk of reporting poor health and functional limitations. Hispanics had even a higher risk of reporting poor health, but did not have an increased risk of reporting functional limitations. Among Hispanics, Mexicans were more likely than whites to report poor health, whereas Puerto Ricans were more likely than whites to experience functional limitations. Both race and ethnicity remain important factors in explaining the disparities in self‐assessed health status independent of socioeconomic status (SES). Meanwhile, the way self‐assessed health status varies with ethnicity is importantly stratified by SES as measured by income and education. These results suggest that future research should analyze the interplay between ethnicity and SES rather than assuming measuring either captures all the important variation.     

Characteristics of urban community-dwelling elderly women with multiple symptoms of the geriatric syndrome and related factors

OBJECTIVE: The present study was performed to comprehensively investigate the prevalence of multiple symptoms of the geriatric syndrome, characteristics and related factors in urban community-dwelling elderly women. METHODS: Among 669 women aged 70 years and above living in 5 areas of Itabashi-ku, who attended the Otassha Kenshin (comprehensive health check for the elderly) in November 2004 and gave consent to participate in this study, 668 had no missing data and their interview and physical fitness data were analyzed. The criteria for the geriatric syndrome were: (1) functional decline: a score of 10 points or below for the 13 items of the Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Gerontology (TMIG) index of competence; (2) falls: "have fallen" once or more in the last year; and (3) urinary incontinence: frequency of urine leakage of "1 to 3 times in a month" in daily life. The interview and physical fitness data were compared between healthy persons, persons with one symptom and persons with multiple symptoms. Multiple logistic regression models were used to analyse related factors. RESULTS: The prevalence of multiple geriatric syndromes was 15.3%; comprising 2.2% with "functional decline+falls", 6.0% with "functional decline+urinary incontinence", 5.1% with "falls+urinary incontinence", and 2.0% with "functional decline+falls+urinary incontinence". The group reporting multiple symptoms had poor self-rated health, had a high percentage currently taking three or more medications, had a fear of falling and had a significantly (P < 0.05) higher likelihood of a history of stroke and urinary disease. In addition, the group with multiple symptoms were older, and had significantly (P < 0.05) poorer results for grip strength, usual walking speed, maximum walking speed, functional reach, knee extension strength, and one leg standing time with eyes open. Within this group, the "functional decline+falls" subgroup had the lowest level of physical fitness. Analysis of factors related to the presence (1) or absence (0) of multiple symptoms identified fear of falling and usual walking speed as two significant variables. CONCLUSION: This study showed that: (1) physical fitness is significantly lower in the group with multiple symptoms of the geriatric syndrome compared with healthy persons, and was the lowest in the subgroup with "functional decline+falls"; and (2) fear of falling and usual walking speed were two factors related to multiple geriatric syndromes. These results suggest directions for future intervention strategies.     

The relationship between risk factors for falling and the quality of life in older adults

Background  

Falls are one of the major health problems that effect the quality of life among older adults. The aim of this study was to explore the relationship between quality of life (Short Form-12) and the risk factors of falls (balance, functional mobility, proprioception, muscle strength, flexibility and fear of falling) in older adults.     

Factors related to urinary incontinence among the Malaysian elderly

Background

Urinary incontinence is a prevalent condition in the elderly that is the spontaneous leakage of urine. It is an age-related problem and increases especially in people aged above 65 years. It can cause many psychological, behavioral, biological, economic and social effects. The treatment of urinary incontinence can reduce morbidity and mortality. Thus, this study aimed to determine the effects of variables including age, ethnicity, gender, education, marital status, body weight, blood elements and nutritional parameters on urinary incontinence among the Malaysian elderly.

Methods

The study was on 2322 non-institutionalized Malaysian elderly. The hierarchy logistic regression analysis was applied to estimate the risk of independent variables for urinary incontinence among respondents.

Results

The findings indicated that approximately 3.80% of subjects had urinary incontinence. In addition, constipation was found a significant factor that increased the risk of urinary incontinence in samples (p=0.006; OR=3.77). The increase in dietary monounsaturated fat (p=0.038; OR=0.59) and plasma triglyceride levels (p=0.029; OR=0.56) significantly reduced the risk of incontinence in subjects. Many of suspected variables including socio-demographic factors, diseases, nutritional minerals, blood components and body weight were non-relevant factors to urinary incontinence in respondents.

Conclusions

Constipation increased the risk of urinary incontinence in subjects, and increase in dietary monounsaturated fat and plasma triglyceride levels decreased the risk.

     

Racial/Ethnic Inequities in Low Birth Weight and Preterm Birth: The Role of Multiple Forms of Stress

Introduction Racial/ethnic inequities in low birth weight (LBW) and preterm birth (PTB) persist in the United States. Research has identified numerous risk factors for adverse birth outcomes; however, they do not fully explain the occurrence of, or inequalities in PTB/LBW. Stress has been proposed as one explanation for differences in LBW and PTB by race/ethnicity. Methods Using the Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS) data from 2012 to 2013 for 21 states and one city (n?=?15,915) we used Poisson regression to estimate the association between acute, financial and relationship stressors and LBW and PTB, and to examine the contribution of these stressors individually and simultaneously to racial/ethnic differences in LBW and PTB. Results Adjusting for age and race/ethnicity, acute (p?<?0.001), financial (p?<?0.001) and relationship (p?<?0.05) stressors were associated with increased risk of LBW, but only acute (p?<?0.05) and financial (p?<?0.01) stress increased risk of PTB. Across all models, non-Hispanic blacks had higher risk of LBW and PTB relative to non-Hispanic whites (IRR 1.87, 95% CI 1.55, 2.27 and IRR 1.46, 95% CI 1.18, 1.79). Accounting for the effects of stressors attenuated the risk of LBW and PTB by 17 and 22% respectively, but did not fully explain the increased likelihood of LBW and PTB among non-Hispanic blacks. Discussion Results of this study demonstrate that stress may increase the risk of LBW and PTB. While stressors may contribute to racial/ethnic differences in LBW and PTB, they do not fully explain them. Mitigating stress during pregnancy may help promote healthier birth outcomes and reduce racial/ethnic inequities in LBW and PTB.     

中国老年人跌倒现状及影响因素研究

  目的  了解中国老年人跌倒现状及其影响因素,为预防老年人跌倒提供参考。  方法  收集2018年中国健康与养老追踪调查(China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study,CHARLS)中≥60岁的7 070名老年人的相关数据,采用χ2检验和二分类Logistic回归分析模型分析老年人跌倒现状及其影响因素。  结果  1 652人在过去两年内发生过跌倒,跌倒率为23.4%。714人跌倒后情况较重需要就医,跌倒就医率为10.9%。二分类Logistic回归分析模型分析结果显示,没有配偶、自评健康一般和不好、患慢性病、有抑郁症状、日常生活能力受损、视力较差、听力较差和使用辅助工具(OR=1.187、1.319、1.435、1.154、1.433、1.730、1.230、1.488、1.503)是老年人跌倒的危险因素(P < 0.05)。  结论  老年人跌倒是多种因素综合作用的结果。应全面评估危险因素,采取综合预防措施,预防和减少导致跌倒的隐患,保护老年人健康。     

Nutritional status and functional ability of the elderly aged 60 to 90 years in the Mpigi district of central Uganda

OBJECTIVES: This study assessed the nutritional status of the elderly and their functional ability because poor nutritional status in the elderly is associated with poor functional ability. METHODS: Anthropometric measurements, demographic and socioeconomic data, dietary assessment by a food frequency list, and activities of daily life data were collected cross sectionally in 2002. Participants (n = 100) were randomly selected and the response rate was 95.2%. RESULTS: The overall prevalences of undernutrition were 33.3% based on body mass index (<18.5 kg/m(2)) and 52% based on mid-upper arm circumference (<24 cm). There was a large, significant difference between prevalences of malnutrition by sex: 68% of women were undernourished (body mass index < 18.5 kg/m(2)) compared with 32.4% of men. Dietary assessment showed that intake of fish, cereals, vegetables, tubers, and legumes was moderate (three to six times/wk). Evaluation of the ability of elderly people to perform basic activities of daily living showed that 33% of subjects were independent in all activities of daily living, except for mobility and feeding. The relation between body mass index and variables associated with functional ability were significant with regard to mobility, continence, and feeding (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: This study found that a large percentage of older men and women are malnourished. This influenced their daily activities, especially mobility and feeding. The elderly need to be incorporated into health programs and policy.     

Preventive health risk appraisal for older people and impact on GPs' patient management: a prospective study

BACKGROUND: Health risk appraisals (HRAs) are recommended for detection of potentially modifiable risk factors for health status decline of older people. Little is known how family physicians manage detected risk factors. OBJECTIVE: We evaluated (i) if risk factors in one or more of five predefined domains were detected in a primary care-based HRA and (ii) how often these findings had an impact on the further management of patients. METHODS: We performed a prospective observational study in a rural community in Austria and included persons (age >or= 70 years) living at home. We applied the standardized assessment for elderly people in primary care (STEP) instrument and evaluated risk factors for status decline assessing five domains (cognitive function, depression, urinary incontinence, hearing impairment and mobility/falls). RESULTS: Two hundred and sixty-four persons participated and the HRA revealed a wide range of risk factors for health status decline [from 4.5% (12/264) in the depression domain up to 31% (81/264) for mobility/falls and 41% (107/264) in the cognitive domain]. The findings had an impact on the further management in four domains: hearing impairment (100% of findings with impact), mobility/falls (93%), depression (83%) and urinary incontinence (65%). In contrast, abnormal cognitive findings lead to action only in every fifth participant (18%; 19/107). CONCLUSION: In contrast to other domains, family physicians are hesitant to act upon abnormal findings of cognitive testing. Additional knowledge is needed to clarify the value of abnormal cognitive findings for management of patients and support of their carers.