Incidence and risk factors of fear of falls among community-residing adults 45 years of age and older.

Abstract

Fear of falls (FOF) in community-residing older adults are critical leading to activity restriction. The purpose of the study was to explore the incidence and risk factors of FOF in community-residing adults 45 years of age and older in Korea. Data was obtained from a national study of Korean Longitudinal Study of Aging (KLoSA) conduced in 2007. KLoSA collected data with stratified random sampling strategy. A sample of 7299 adults who are over 45 years old and had no cognitive impairment, was selected for the analysis from a larger sample of 10254. Mean ages of participants was 58.38 (SD = 9.58, range = 45-93). The overall incidence of FOFs was 34.28%, and the incidence of FOFs tended to increase by age. With logistic multiple regression, older age, female, fall history, stroke, arthritis, visual deficit, weak grip strength, and depression were the risk factors for FOFs. Gerontological nurses should assess abilities in ADLs and difficulty daily life due to visual impairment when considering perceived health among older adults who had a history of falls.