Prevalence, Circumstances, and Risk Factors of Falls Among Community Dwelling Members of University of the Third Age

Abstract

Objective: Study aimed to identify the prevalence of falls and associated contributory factors among older Malaysians.Methods: A cross sectional study among community dwelling older adults aged 50 years and above. Self-administered questionnaires on history of falls in the previous 12 months, physical assessment and computerized and clinical measures of balance were assessed on a single occasion.Results: Forty nine (31.0%) participants fell, with 4.4% reported having multiple falls within the previous 12 months. Slips were the most prevalent cause of falls, accounting for 49% of falls. More than half (54.5%) of falls occurred in the afternoon while participants walked inside the home (32.7%), outside home (30.6%), and 36.7% were in community areas. More than half of respondents were identified as having turning instability. Step Test, turn sway, depression, physical activity level and edge contrast sensitivity were significantly worse for fallers (p < 0.05). Multiple logistic regression analysis showed that turning performance, visual acuity and back pain were significantly associated with falls risk, accounting for 72% of the variance of risk factors for falls among studied population.Conclusion: Falls are common among community dwelling older Malaysians. The findings provide information of falls and falls risk factors among community dwelling older adults in Malaysia. Future intervention studies should target locally identified falls risk factors. This study has highlighted the importance of instability during turning as an important fall risk factor.

Multisite Pain and Intensity were Associated with History Fall among Older Adults: A Cross-Sectional Study

“…A significant positive relationship between pain and falls has also been reported in other populations, such as community-dwelling older adults in the US, Malaysia, China, and Australia. 30,33,34 Increased pain intensity is associated with a high likelihood of falling, which may be attributed to the impact of pain on an individual's physical activity level, gait pattern, impaired motor function and judgment, and overall functional status, all of which increase the susceptibility to falls. 14 Therefore, this raises an important question about how to motivate older adults experiencing pain to exercise to prevent falls.…”

Age and type of task-based impact of mental fatigue on balance: Systematic review and meta-analysis

“…The deficient reactive balance response observed in young adults due to mental fatigue, as identified in this systematic review and meta-analysis, therefore, aligns with the existing evidence that supports the connection between balance control and higher-order cognitive processing, particularly in situations where the balance task is novel or challenging (Jacobs & Horak, 2007; Lajoie et al, 1993; Maki & McIlroy, 2007). Importantly, since most fall incidents occur due to trips or slips (Ashari et al, 2021; Heijnen & Rietdyk, 2016; Wang et al, 2021), mental fatigue may be an important risk factor increasing the likelihood of fall through its effect on reactive balance control even in young population. During the reactive balance control tasks, we anticipated a stronger negative effect of mental fatigue in older adults compared to young adults.…”

“…In terms of healthcare costs, up to 41% (AUD 3.7 billion) of all injury-related expenditure was attributed to falls in Australia between 2015-2016 (Health & Welfare, 2020). Multiple factors play a role in falls, but most falls occur during dynamic balance activities (especially due to slip or trip during walking), implying the significance of postural balance in the etiology of falls and fall-related injuries (Ashari et al, 2021; Heijnen & Rietdyk, 2016; Wang et al, 2021).…”