Association between falls and depressive symptoms or visual impairment among Japanese young‐old adults

Abstract

Aim: To investigate the association between falls and self-reported depressive symptoms or visual impairment among young-old adults.Methods: A total of 1,904 participants (986 males and 918 females) aged 64 years from the New Integrated Suburban Seniority Investigation Project from 1996 to 2005, an age-specific cohort study in Nisshin, Japan. Depressive symptoms were evaluated using the Geriatric Depression Scale. Visual impairment was assessed using a self-administered questionnaire. The outcome variable was self-reported injurious falls at the age of 70. Multivariate odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) of depressive symptoms and visual impairment for the incidence of falls were calculated using logistic regression models and adjusted for possible confounding factors.Results: Overall, 77 (7.8%) males and 126 (13.7%) females reported falls within the last 1 year at age 70. Among females, depressive symptoms and visual impairment were significantly associated with falls after adjusting for potential confounders (OR: 1.70, 95% CI: 1.09-2.62; OR: 2.34, 95% CI: 1.45-3.71, respectively), but not among males.Female participants with both conditions had a significantly increased risk of falls after adjusting for potential confounders (OR: 3.50, 95% CI: 1.65-7.13) compared with those with neither condition; the association was not significant among males.Conclusions: Depressive symptoms and visual impairment at age 64 were significantly associated with an increased risk of falls at age 70 in Japanese females but not in males.The combination of the two symptoms had an even greater association with fall risk.

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