Fall Risk Prediction for Community-Dwelling Older Adults: Analysis of Assessment Scale and Evaluation Items without Actual Measurement

Abstract

The frequency of falls increases with age. In Japan, the population is aging rapidly, and fall prevention measures are an urgent issue. However, assessing fall risk during the coronavirus disease pandemic was complicated by the social distancing measures implemented to prevent the disease, while traditional assessments that involve actual measurements are complicated. This prospective cohort study predicted the risk of falls in community-dwelling older adults using an assessment method that does not require actual measurements. A survey was conducted among 434 community-dwelling older adults to obtain data regarding baseline attributes (age, sex, living with family, use of long-term care insurance, and multimorbidity), Frailty Screening Index (FSI) score, and Questionnaire for Medical Checkup of Old-Old (QMCOO) score. The participants were categorized into fall (n = 78) and non-fall (n = 356) groups. The binomial logistic regression analysis showed that it is better to focus on the QMCOO sub-item score, which focuses on multiple factors. The items significantly associated with falls were Q5 (odds ratio [OR] 1.95), Q8 (OR 2.33), and Q10 (OR 3.68). Our results were similar to common risk factors for falls in normal times. During the pandemic, being able to gauge the risk factors for falls without actually measuring them was important.