Dataset Information

The Complex Association Between Fear of Falling and Mobility Limitation in Relation to Late-Life Falls: A SHARE-Based Analysis.

ABSTRACT: OBJECTIVE:This study examines fear of falling (FOF) in relation to falls in light of mobility limitation. METHOD:Data on community-dwelling older Europeans, aged 65+, were drawn from two consecutive waves of the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE). The analysis regressed fall status in 2013 on reported FOF 2 to 3 years earlier, controlling for previous falls. RESULTS:FOF predicted subsequent falls when mobility limitation was low to moderate. However, the effect of FOF on fall probability was reversed when mobility limitation was high. DISCUSSION:The analysis underscores a complex association between FOF and mobility limitation in relation to late-life falls. People who are worried about falling tend to fall more. Those having high mobility limitation but lacking FOF are also more likely to fall. In cases of considerable mobility limitation, FOF may act as a protective buffer. The less worried in this group, however, may be subject to greater falling, and thus require greater attention.

SUBMITTER: Litwin H

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6655432 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Publications

The Complex Association Between Fear of Falling and Mobility Limitation in Relation to Late-Life Falls: A SHARE-Based Analysis.

Litwin Howard H Erlich Bracha B Dunsky Ayelet A

Journal of aging and health 20170420 6

<h4>Objective</h4>This study examines fear of falling (FOF) in relation to falls in light of mobility limitation.<h4>Method</h4>Data on community-dwelling older Europeans, aged 65+, were drawn from two consecutive waves of the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE). The analysis regressed fall status in 2013 on reported FOF 2 to 3 years earlier, controlling for previous falls.<h4>Results</h4>FOF predicted subsequent falls when mobility limitation was low to moderate. However, ...[more]

PMID: 28553817

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Project description:Background and aimThe reciprocal relation between falling and concern about falling is complex and not well understood. We aimed to determine whether concern about falling increases after a fall and whether concern about falling increases the odds of future falls in community-dwelling older adults without a recent fall history.MethodsWe selected 118 community-dwelling older adults (mean age: 71.4 (SD: 5.3) years) without a self-reported history of falling, one year prior to baseline assessment, from the one-year VIBE cohort for analyses. On a monthly basis, we recorded concern about falling (using the Falls Efficacy Scale-International, FES-I), as well as the occurrence of falls (through questionnaires and telephone calls). We determined 1) whether falling predicts an increase in concern about falling and 2) whether a high concern about falling is predictive of falling. Standard linear (fixed-effects) regression and mixed effects regression analyses were performed over long-term, i.e. one year, and short-term, i.e. one-month, intervals, respectively and were adjusted for gender, age and physical activity (quantified as the average total walking duration per day). Analyses were performed separately for all reported falls and for injurious falls only.ResultsHigh concern about falling at baseline did not predict falls over the course of one year, nor over the course of one month. Furthermore, falls in between baseline assessment and one year thereafter did not predict increased concern about falling from baseline to one year later, independent of whether all falls or only injurious falls were considered. However, falls, either all or injurious only, happening somewhere over the course of a one-month interval, significantly predicted small increases in concern about falling (1.49 FES-I points, 95% CI [0.74, 2.25], p<0.001 for all falls; 2.60 FES-I points, 95% CI [1.55, 3.64], p<0.001 for injurious falls) from the start to the end of that one-month interval.ConclusionOlder adults without a recent history of falling seem to be resilient against developing concern about falling after having fallen, resulting in a short-term temporary effect of falling on concern about falling. Furthermore, we found no evidence that a high concern about falling predicts future falls over a one-month or a one-year follow-up period, suggesting that concern is not a primary cause for falls in older adults without a recent history of falling.

Dataset Information

The Complex Association Between Fear of Falling and Mobility Limitation in Relation to Late-Life Falls: A SHARE-Based Analysis.

Publications

The Complex Association Between Fear of Falling and Mobility Limitation in Relation to Late-Life Falls: A SHARE-Based Analysis.

Similar Datasets

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