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Abstract
This study aimed to investigate the relationship among falls, fear of falling (FOF), and health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in elderly people living in the community. The study was a community-based surveillance with residents aged 65 or over in Taipei, Taiwan. Data were collected in face-to-face interviews. Of the 4,056 participants, the prevalence of falls was 13.8% and the prevalence of FOF among women (62.6%) was significantly higher than that among men (46.2%). Adjusted by covariate factors, fear of falling was identified as a major factor related to HRQOL in the elderly and should be emphasized to assist the improvement of HRQOL in geriatrics.
Notes
This study was supported by a grant from the Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan (VGH 89–404–1, VGH 90–445–1, and VGH 91–382–1). The authors report no conflicts of interest and are responsible for the content and writing of the article. Nien-Tzu Chang, Nan-Ping Yang, and Pesus Chou were equal contributors.
Note. a2167(53.4%) reported fear of falling, and fall episodes were significantly associated with fear of falling, as tested by the Chi-square test (p < .01).
bOf the 558 fallers who had experienced at least one falling episode in the past year, 388 (69.5%) reported fall-induced injuries.