Comorbid pain and falls among Chinese older adults: the association, healthcare utilization and the role of subjective and objective physical functioning
Abstract Background Pain and falls are significant disabling health conditions which cause substantial economic burdens on older adults and their families. Physical functioning (both subjective and objective) might play a significant role in older adults’ pain and falls. In this study we aimed to ex...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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BMC
2023-05-01
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| Series: | BMC Geriatrics |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12877-023-03901-6 |
| _version_ | 1797827369720872960 |
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| author | Haocen Wang Rumei Yang Yang Yang Yao Meng Sha Li Yun Jiang |
| author_facet | Haocen Wang Rumei Yang Yang Yang Yao Meng Sha Li Yun Jiang |
| author_sort | Haocen Wang |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Background Pain and falls are significant disabling health conditions which cause substantial economic burdens on older adults and their families. Physical functioning (both subjective and objective) might play a significant role in older adults’ pain and falls. In this study we aimed to examine: (1) the relationship between pain and falls among Chinese older adults; (2) pain-fall status (i.e., comorbid pain-fall, pain-only, fall-only, and neither-pain-nor-fall) in relation to healthcare utilization; and (3) whether physical functioning measured either subjectively or objectively would contribute differently to the pain intensity and to the occurrence of falls. Methods We used a nationally-representative sample of older adults from the 2011–2012 baseline survey of the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (N = 4,461, aged 60–95 years). Logistic, linear, and negative binomial models adjusted for demographic variables were used in the analysis. Results Overall, 36% of older adults reported pain, 20% had fall occurrences, and 11% had comorbid pain and falls. Pain intensity was significantly associated with falls. Individuals in groups of pain-only, fall-only, and comorbid pain-fall reported significantly higher healthcare utilization, that is, more frequent inpatient care and doctor visits than those in the neither-pain-nor-fall group. Subjective, not objective, physical functioning was associated with pain and falls. Conclusion Pain and falls are significantly associated with each other, and both can lead to increased healthcare utilization. Compared to objective physical functioning, subjective physical functioning is more likely to correlate with pain and falls, suggesting that self-reported physical status should be considered when designing pain-fall preventive strategies. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-09T12:47:11Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-4af37608759248008c4768643efccd5f |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1471-2318 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-09T12:47:11Z |
| publishDate | 2023-05-01 |
| publisher | BMC |
| record_format | Article |
| series | BMC Geriatrics |
| spelling | doaj.art-4af37608759248008c4768643efccd5f2023-05-14T11:27:02ZengBMCBMC Geriatrics1471-23182023-05-0123111010.1186/s12877-023-03901-6Comorbid pain and falls among Chinese older adults: the association, healthcare utilization and the role of subjective and objective physical functioningHaocen Wang0Rumei Yang1Yang Yang2Yao Meng3Sha Li4Yun Jiang5School of Nursing, Purdue UniversitySchool of Nursing, Nanjing Medical UniversitySchool of Nursing, Nanjing Medical UniversitySchool of Nursing, Nanjing Medical UniversitySchool of Nursing, Nanjing Medical UniversitySchool of Nursing, University of MichiganAbstract Background Pain and falls are significant disabling health conditions which cause substantial economic burdens on older adults and their families. Physical functioning (both subjective and objective) might play a significant role in older adults’ pain and falls. In this study we aimed to examine: (1) the relationship between pain and falls among Chinese older adults; (2) pain-fall status (i.e., comorbid pain-fall, pain-only, fall-only, and neither-pain-nor-fall) in relation to healthcare utilization; and (3) whether physical functioning measured either subjectively or objectively would contribute differently to the pain intensity and to the occurrence of falls. Methods We used a nationally-representative sample of older adults from the 2011–2012 baseline survey of the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (N = 4,461, aged 60–95 years). Logistic, linear, and negative binomial models adjusted for demographic variables were used in the analysis. Results Overall, 36% of older adults reported pain, 20% had fall occurrences, and 11% had comorbid pain and falls. Pain intensity was significantly associated with falls. Individuals in groups of pain-only, fall-only, and comorbid pain-fall reported significantly higher healthcare utilization, that is, more frequent inpatient care and doctor visits than those in the neither-pain-nor-fall group. Subjective, not objective, physical functioning was associated with pain and falls. Conclusion Pain and falls are significantly associated with each other, and both can lead to increased healthcare utilization. Compared to objective physical functioning, subjective physical functioning is more likely to correlate with pain and falls, suggesting that self-reported physical status should be considered when designing pain-fall preventive strategies.https://doi.org/10.1186/s12877-023-03901-6PainFallsSubjective measureObjective measurePhysical function |
| spellingShingle | Haocen Wang Rumei Yang Yang Yang Yao Meng Sha Li Yun Jiang Comorbid pain and falls among Chinese older adults: the association, healthcare utilization and the role of subjective and objective physical functioning BMC Geriatrics Pain Falls Subjective measure Objective measure Physical function |
| title | Comorbid pain and falls among Chinese older adults: the association, healthcare utilization and the role of subjective and objective physical functioning |
| title_full | Comorbid pain and falls among Chinese older adults: the association, healthcare utilization and the role of subjective and objective physical functioning |
| title_fullStr | Comorbid pain and falls among Chinese older adults: the association, healthcare utilization and the role of subjective and objective physical functioning |
| title_full_unstemmed | Comorbid pain and falls among Chinese older adults: the association, healthcare utilization and the role of subjective and objective physical functioning |
| title_short | Comorbid pain and falls among Chinese older adults: the association, healthcare utilization and the role of subjective and objective physical functioning |
| title_sort | comorbid pain and falls among chinese older adults the association healthcare utilization and the role of subjective and objective physical functioning |
| topic | Pain Falls Subjective measure Objective measure Physical function |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12877-023-03901-6 |
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