Risk factors for developing fear of falling in the elderly in Serbia

Sunčica  Ivanović; Sanja  Trgovčević

doi:10.2298/VSP160620369I

Sunčica Ivanović High Medical School of Professional Studies, Ćuprija, Serbia
Sanja Trgovčević High Medical School of Professional Studies, Ćuprija, Serbia

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2298/VSP160620369I

Keywords: aged;, aged, 80 and over;, accidental falls;, fear;, risk factors;, serbia.

Abstract

Background/Aim. After a fall, the elderly can develop a fear of falling which can be more frequent and more serious problem than the fall itself because it represents the main factor limiting an older person in his/her everyday functioning. The aim of this study was to identify and examine, in a more detailed way, risk factors for developing fear of falling triggered by the history of their falls over the previous year in the elderly in Serbia who live in houses or apartments. Methods. The cross-sectional study was conducted on 400 people, mean age 75.04 years (min. 65, max. 94), randomly selected from the register of patients in the Primary Health Center of Niš (164 men and 236 women), in the period January-June 2014. Socio-demographic questionnaire – Elderly Fall Screening Test (EFST), Multi-Factor Questionnaire Falls (MFQ) and Falls Efficacy Scale International (FESI) were used in this study. Results. After applying the multivariate binary logistic regression, it was found that significant predictors for developing fear of falling were as follows: female gender (OR = 2.599; p = 0.009), age 75–79 years (OR = 4.637; p = 0.009) and over 80 years (OR = 3.830; p = 0.001), increase in household members (OR = 1.206; p = 0.033), people who estimate their health as average (OR = 0.268; p < 0.001) and good (OR = 0.059; p < 0.001), number of falls higher than 2 (OR = 2.761; p = 0.003), presence of injuries during the fall (OR = 2.483; p = 0.028), periodical and repeating situations of “near-fall” (OR = 3.830; p = 0.001), limited activity (OR = 2.124; p = 0.007) problems with sight (OR = 3.006; p < 0.001), cognitive problems (OR = 2.296; p = 0.005) and problems with balance (OR = 3.809; p < 0.001). Conclusion. The results of this study can be used for planning promotional programs for falls and a fear of falling prevention, as well as prevention of their consequences.

Author Biography

Sanja Trgovčević, High Medical School of Professional Studies, Ćuprija, Serbia

profesor strukovnih studija

References

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