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Age and Ageing Advance Access originally published online on March 22, 2007
Age and Ageing 2007 36(3):304-309; doi:10.1093/ageing/afm021
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Copyright © The Author 2007. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the British Geriatrics Society.

Prevalence and correlates of fear of falling, and associated avoidance of activity in the general population of community-living older people

G. A. R. Zijlstra1,2,, J. C. M. van Haastregt1,2, J. Th. M. van Eijk1,2, E. van Rossum1,2,3, P. A. Stalenhoef2,4 and G. I. J. M. Kempen1,2

1 Maastricht University, Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences, Department of Health Care Studies, 6200 MD Maastricht, The Netherlands
2 Care and Public Health Research Institute, Maastricht, The Netherlands
3 Professional University Zuyd, Faculty of Health and Technology, Heerlen, The Netherlands
4 Maastricht University, Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences, Department of General Practice, Maastricht, The Netherlands

Address correspondence to: G. A. R. Zijlstra. Tel: (+31) 43 388 2289; Fax: (+31) 43 388 4169. Email: R.Zijlstra{at}zw.unimaas.nl

Background: little is known about the prevalence rates and correlates of fear of falling and avoidance of activity due to fear of falling in the general population of community-living older people.

Objective: to assess prevalence rates and study correlates of fear of falling and avoidance of activity due to fear of falling in this population.

Study design and setting: cross-sectional study in 4,031 community-living people aged ≥70 years.

Results: fear of falling was reported by 54.3% and associated avoidance of acivity by 379% of our population. Variables independently associated with fear of falling were: higher age (≥80 years: odds ratio (OR) =1.79; 95% confidence interval (CI) =1.49–2.16), female gender (OR = 3.23; 95% CI = 2.76–3.79), poor perceived general health (OR = 6.93; 95% CI = 4.70–10.21) and multiple falls (OR = 5.72; 95% CI = 4.40–7.43). Higher age (≥80 years: OR = 1.92; 95% CI = 1.59–2.32), poor perceived general health (OR = 11.91; 95% CI = 8.38–16.95) and multiple falls (OR = 4.64; 95% CI = 3.73–5.76) were also independently associated with avoidance of activity.

Conclusions: fear of falling and avoidance of activities due to fear of falling, were highly prevalent in our sample of community-living older people. Particularly, poor perceived general health showed a strong, independent association with both, fear of falling, and related avoidance of activity. Findings of our study may help health care professionals to identify people eligible for interventions aimed at reducing fear of falling and activity restriction.

Keywords: aged, correlates, fear of falling, daily activity, cross-sectional, elderly

Received 18 July 2006; accepted in revised form 29 December 2006.


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