Determining the Profile of People with Fall Risk in Community-Living Older People in Algarve Region: A Cross-Sectional, Population-Based Study

Abstract

: One in three people aged 65 years or older falls every year. Injuries associated with this event among the older population are a major cause of pain, disability, loss of functional autonomy and institutionalization. This study aimed to assess mobility and fall risk (FR) in community-living older people and to determine reliable and independent measures (health, social, environmental and risk factors) that can predict the mobility loss and FR. In total, 192 participants were included, with a mean age of 77.93 ± 8.38. FR was assessed by EASY-Care (EC) Standard 2010, the Tinetti Test and the Modified Falls Efficacy Scale (MFES). An exploratory analysis was conducted using the divisive non-hierarchical cluster method, aiming to identify a differentiator and homogeneous group of subjects (optimal group of variables) and to verify if that group shows differences in fall risk. Individually, the health, social, environmental and risk factor categories were not found to be an optimal group; they do not predict FR. The most significant predictor variables were a mix of the different categories, namely, the presence of pain, osteoarthritis (OA), and female gender. The finding of a profile that allows health professionals to be able to quickly identify people at FR will enable a reduction in injuries and fractures resulting from falls and, consequently, the associated costs