Relationship Between Physical Condition, Functional Fitness, and Falls Risk in Elderly Adults

To the Editor: Balance problems and falls are a common concern in elderly adults and have several morbidity implications. Because of the current life expectancy, the number of falling incidents has been growing considerably, resulting in a higher dependency index in elderly adults. Aging is a complex process involving many variables (e.g., genetics, lifestyle, chronic diseases) that interact with one another, greatly influencing the manner in which we age and our physical condition. Maintaining adequate strength, endurance, and agility is crucial, mainly to reduce the risk of falls and to be able to perform basic activities of daily living such as getting out of a chair or bathtub without risk or assistance. Individuals aged 80 and older have a death rate from falls six times as high as that of younger adults because they fall more often and are physically frailer. Falls frequently occur during daily activities, such as reaching into cupboards in the kitchen or bathroom. As people get older, the importance of their physical condition increases, and it is ever more essential to take steps to prevent or delay the start of physical frailty. Studies show that a major percentage of the physical weakness commonly associated with falls could be prevented if weaknesses were detected and treated before they led to a clear loss of functional ability with an appropriate regime of regular physical activity. An important concern in studying factors related to maintaining physical ability and preventing falls with aging is to determine the effect of this on dependency and healthrelated quality of life, which has important social and economic implications. In this context, the purpose of this study was to examine the related factors of physical fitness and physical condition associated with the risks of falling in a sample of noninstitutionalized Portuguese elderly adults randomly assigned from a physical activity club for elderly adults. The Functional Fitness Test (FFT) and the Functional Reach Test (FRT) 6,7 were used to evaluate physical fitness and the risks of falling, respectively. Analyses of data were conducted using SPSS version 17.0 (SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL). Statistical significance was set at p< .05. The major results of this study were that 84% of elderly adults are at low risk of falling, 20.6% moderate, and 4.8% significant; women had best results on flexibility, and men had higher aerobic endurance and body strength. There were significant differences in lateral FRT (men 21.5 ± 2.3; women 14.5±3.9) (Table 1). Differences in the structure of muscle tissue and morphological and hormonal differences can explain these differences. One study indicated that physically active elderly adults can reduce the risk of postural instability encountered during daily activities more than 60%. Another study concluded that simple flexibility exercises can increase postural stability and can therefore be used as a strategy to help elderly adults develop their dynamic balance. According to a third study, muscular strength is the most important predictor, and aerobic fitness and fat mass are secondary predictors of lower limb physical function in elderly adults. Individuals who participate in regular multicomponent, moderate-intensity physical activity (2 times per week for 1 year) maintain significantly greater strength, endurance, postural stability, and functional capacity than sedentary elderly adults. The results of the current study highlight the potential of physical activity to prevent or reverse functional limitations and to combat weakness, frailty, and the consequences of dependency and thereby the quality of life of this population.