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Problems and fall risk determinants of quality of life in older adults with increased risk of falling
Author(s) -
Lin SangI,
Chang KuChou,
Lee HsueiChen,
Yang YiChing,
Tsauo JauYih
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
geriatrics and gerontology international
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.823
H-Index - 57
eISSN - 1447-0594
pISSN - 1444-1586
DOI - 10.1111/ggi.12320
Subject(s) - fear of falling , medicine , falling (accident) , logistic regression , depression (economics) , geriatric depression scale , quality of life (healthcare) , gerontology , injury prevention , demography , poison control , psychiatry , anxiety , environmental health , depressive symptoms , nursing , economics , macroeconomics , sociology
Aims Determine quality of life and its association with fall risk factors in older adults with increased risk of falling. Methods A total of 597 community‐dwelling T aiwanese older adults who were screened to have increased risk of falling participated in the present study. The fall risk factors included sociodemographics, physical and psychological function, Timed Up and Go, past fall/medical histories, fear of falling and medications. The E uro Q ol EQ ‐5 D was used to measure health‐related quality of life. Results Pain/discomfort was the EQ ‐5 D dimension most frequently reported to be impaired (35%), regardless of the level of fall risk or age groups, followed by mobility (25%). Hierarchical regression analysis showed that Geriatric Depression Scale, Mini‐Mental State Examination, physiological function, up‐and‐go, fear of falling and psychotropic medication were independent predictors for total EQ ‐5 D , explaining 68.37% of the variance. Logistic regression analysis showed that for the five EQ ‐5 D dimensions, Geriatric Depression Scale and Up and Go time were the most common determinants. Conclusions Pain/discomfort was the leading impairment, and greater Geriatric Depression Scale and longer up‐and‐go time were the main contributing factors in declines in quality of life in older adults with increased risk of falling. These factors are often modifiable, and their management might be considered a priority in falls prevention. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2015; 15: 579–587.