AI Article Synopsis
- Fear of falling (FoF) is prevalent in older adults, affecting their mental health, daily functioning, and longevity, with a study focusing on community-dwelling individuals aged 55 and older.
- The research analyzed data from 1,489 participants and found that 76.4% experienced FoF, which was linked to activity limitation but not to a history of falls.
- Further, the study indicated that while home hazards were associated with a lower likelihood of FoF, functional issues increased FoF; education on managing home hazards could help mitigate fear and is recommended for future research.
Article Abstract
Fear of falling (FoF) is a common issue among older people, impacting on psychological health, functional performance and mortality. Many factors associated with fear of falling have been investigated but little is known about the role of home hazards. Home hazards can be due to unsafe environmental and functional features. This study is aims to evaluate the association between home hazards with fear of falling among community-dwelling individuals aged 55 years and over. Baseline data with 1,489 older individuals from the Malaysian Elders Longitudinal Research (MELoR) study were analyzed. Home visits for interview and observations in the home were conducted with the participants. FoF was established with a single-item question and home hazards with the Home Falls and Accidents Screening Tool (HOME FAST). The majority (76.4%) of older participants experienced FoF. The history of falls was not associated with FoF ( = 0.868), but FoF was associated with participants limiting their daily activities ( < 0.001). Home hazards were less likely ( = 0.023) and functional issues were more likely ( < 0.001) to be associated with a high degree of FoF. However, both home hazards domains were not associated with activity restriction due to FoF. Education about home hazards from the perspective of person-environment interaction may encourage home hazards management and reduce FoF which should be evaluated in future studies.
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|---|---|
| http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7835712 | PMC |
| http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2020.612599 | DOI Listing |
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