Title
Heterogeneity of falls among older adults: implications for public health prevention
UMMS Affiliation
Department of Medicine, Division of Preventive and Behavioral Medicine
Publication Date
2012-11-01
Document Type
Article
Subjects
Accidental Falls
Disciplines
Behavioral Disciplines and Activities | Behavior and Behavior Mechanisms | Community Health and Preventive Medicine | Geriatrics | Preventive Medicine
Abstract
Objectives. We examined risk factors for falls among older people according to indoor and outdoor activity at the time of the fall and explored risk factors for seriously injurious falls.
Methods. Data came from MOBILIZE Boston, a prospective cohort study of 765 community-dwelling women and men, mainly aged 70 years or older. Over 4.3 years, 1737 falls were recorded, along with indoor or outdoor activity at the time of the fall. Results. Participants with poor baseline health characteristics had elevated rates of indoor falls while transitioning, walking, or not moving. Healthy, active people had elevated rates of outdoor falls during walking and vigorous activity. For instance, participants with fast, rather than normal, gait speed, had a rate ratio of 7.36 (95% confidence interval [CI] = 2.54, 21.28) for outdoor falls during vigorous activity. The likelihood of a seriously injurious fall also varied by personal characteristics, activity, and location. For example, the odds ratio for serious injury from an outdoor fall while walking outside compared to inside a participant's neighborhood was 3.31 (95% CI = 1.33, 8.23).
Conclusions. Fall prevention programs should be tailored to personal characteristics, activities, and locations.
DOI of Published Version
10.2105/AJPH.2012.300677
Source
Jennifer L. Kelsey, Elizabeth Procter-Gray, Marian T. Hannan, and Wenjun Li. Heterogeneity of Falls Among Older Adults: Implications for Public Health Prevention. American Journal of Public Health: November 2012, Vol. 102, No. 11, pp. 2149-2156. doi: 10.2105/AJPH.2012.300677 Link to article on publisher's site
Journal/Book/Conference Title
American journal of public health
Related Resources
PubMed ID
22994167
Repository Citation
Kelsey, Jennifer L.; Procter-Gray, Elizabeth; Hannan, Marian T.; and Li, Wenjun, "Heterogeneity of falls among older adults: implications for public health prevention" (2012). Preventive and Behavioral Medicine Publications. 243.
https://escholarship.umassmed.edu/prevbeh_pp/243
