A population study on factors associated with unintentional falls among Iranian older adults
Abstract Introduction Falls among older adults are a significant cause of disability, injury, and death worldwide. The high incidence of falls in older adults, combined with the increased susceptibility to injury of the older adult population, leads to severe global health issues. Further studies ar...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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BMC
2023-12-01
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| Series: | BMC Geriatrics |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12877-023-04571-0 |
| _version_ | 1827581351489961984 |
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| author | Gholam Reza Sotoudeh Reza Mohammadi Zahra Mosallanezhad Eija Viitasara Joaquim J.F. Soares |
| author_facet | Gholam Reza Sotoudeh Reza Mohammadi Zahra Mosallanezhad Eija Viitasara Joaquim J.F. Soares |
| author_sort | Gholam Reza Sotoudeh |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Introduction Falls among older adults are a significant cause of disability, injury, and death worldwide. The high incidence of falls in older adults, combined with the increased susceptibility to injury of the older adult population, leads to severe global health issues. Further studies are needed to comprehensively evaluate the typical personal and environmental risk factors of falls in the Iranian elderly population. Future preventive strategies and intervention programs will be based on these findings. The study determined the risk factors associated with unintentional falls among a representative sample of older adults living in Tehran, the capital city of Iran. Methods The study design was cross-sectional. The target population was men/women aged 65 years and over from the general population living in 22 different districts of Tehran who were selected by stratified random sampling. The researchers gathered the data using validated questionnaires and observations. The informed consent was obtained from all participants before starting the interview. Multivariate logistic regression analysis examined the association between falls occurring during the past 12 months with demographics/ socioeconomics and fall-related predictor factors. Results The risk of falls was higher in women (47.0%) and those aged ≥ 75 years (44.1%). Older adults who were married had their fall risk reduced by 36.4% compared with other types of marital status. Older adults who were illiterate (48.1%), housewives (47.0%), and always had concerns about living expenses (53.9%) tended significantly to have a higher risk of falls. Moreover, participants who live with their family were less likely to fall than those who live alone (36.5% vs. 40.4%). Persons with safe homes were less likely to experience falls than persons with unsafe homes (30.9% vs. 41.4%). The logistic regression analysis showed that the female gender, being worried about living expenses, home safety, functional behavior, and function factors, were independently associated with the risk of falls during the past 12 months. Conclusions Our findings revealed that a wide range of intrinsic and extrinsic risk factors contributed to injurious falls; based on the literature, some are preventable. The present data may be helpful as a starting point and guide future efforts for health providers and policymakers to allocate additional resources and develop proper falls prevention or intervention programs at the community level. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-08T22:35:08Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-38c72cee6bda477d9e42332e71375223 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1471-2318 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-08T22:35:08Z |
| publishDate | 2023-12-01 |
| publisher | BMC |
| record_format | Article |
| series | BMC Geriatrics |
| spelling | doaj.art-38c72cee6bda477d9e42332e713752232023-12-17T12:29:32ZengBMCBMC Geriatrics1471-23182023-12-0123111310.1186/s12877-023-04571-0A population study on factors associated with unintentional falls among Iranian older adultsGholam Reza Sotoudeh0Reza Mohammadi1Zahra Mosallanezhad2Eija Viitasara3Joaquim J.F. Soares4Department of Health Sciences, Section of Public Health Sciences, Mid Sweden UniversityDivision for Family Medicine, Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, Karolinska InstitutetDepartment of Physiotherapy, University of Social Welfare and Rehabilitation SciencesDepartment of Health Sciences, Section of Public Health Sciences, Mid Sweden UniversityDepartment of Health Sciences, Section of Public Health Sciences, Mid Sweden UniversityAbstract Introduction Falls among older adults are a significant cause of disability, injury, and death worldwide. The high incidence of falls in older adults, combined with the increased susceptibility to injury of the older adult population, leads to severe global health issues. Further studies are needed to comprehensively evaluate the typical personal and environmental risk factors of falls in the Iranian elderly population. Future preventive strategies and intervention programs will be based on these findings. The study determined the risk factors associated with unintentional falls among a representative sample of older adults living in Tehran, the capital city of Iran. Methods The study design was cross-sectional. The target population was men/women aged 65 years and over from the general population living in 22 different districts of Tehran who were selected by stratified random sampling. The researchers gathered the data using validated questionnaires and observations. The informed consent was obtained from all participants before starting the interview. Multivariate logistic regression analysis examined the association between falls occurring during the past 12 months with demographics/ socioeconomics and fall-related predictor factors. Results The risk of falls was higher in women (47.0%) and those aged ≥ 75 years (44.1%). Older adults who were married had their fall risk reduced by 36.4% compared with other types of marital status. Older adults who were illiterate (48.1%), housewives (47.0%), and always had concerns about living expenses (53.9%) tended significantly to have a higher risk of falls. Moreover, participants who live with their family were less likely to fall than those who live alone (36.5% vs. 40.4%). Persons with safe homes were less likely to experience falls than persons with unsafe homes (30.9% vs. 41.4%). The logistic regression analysis showed that the female gender, being worried about living expenses, home safety, functional behavior, and function factors, were independently associated with the risk of falls during the past 12 months. Conclusions Our findings revealed that a wide range of intrinsic and extrinsic risk factors contributed to injurious falls; based on the literature, some are preventable. The present data may be helpful as a starting point and guide future efforts for health providers and policymakers to allocate additional resources and develop proper falls prevention or intervention programs at the community level.https://doi.org/10.1186/s12877-023-04571-0FallsAssociated factorsOlder adultsEnvironment hazardsHealth status |
| spellingShingle | Gholam Reza Sotoudeh Reza Mohammadi Zahra Mosallanezhad Eija Viitasara Joaquim J.F. Soares A population study on factors associated with unintentional falls among Iranian older adults BMC Geriatrics Falls Associated factors Older adults Environment hazards Health status |
| title | A population study on factors associated with unintentional falls among Iranian older adults |
| title_full | A population study on factors associated with unintentional falls among Iranian older adults |
| title_fullStr | A population study on factors associated with unintentional falls among Iranian older adults |
| title_full_unstemmed | A population study on factors associated with unintentional falls among Iranian older adults |
| title_short | A population study on factors associated with unintentional falls among Iranian older adults |
| title_sort | population study on factors associated with unintentional falls among iranian older adults |
| topic | Falls Associated factors Older adults Environment hazards Health status |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12877-023-04571-0 |
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