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Age and Ageing 2008 37(1):19-24; doi:10.1093/ageing/afm169
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Copyright © The Author 2008. Published by Oxford University Press.
The online version of this article has been published under an open access model. Users are entitled to use, reproduce, disseminate, or display the open access version of this article for non-commercial purposes provided that: the original authorship is properly and fully attributed; the Journal and Oxford University Press are attributed as the original place of publication with the correct citation details given; if an article is subsequently reproduced or disseminated not in its entirety but only in part or as a derivative work this must be clearly indicated. For commercial re-use, please contact journals.permissions@oxfordjournals.org

Systematic Review

Fear of falling: measurement strategy, prevalence, risk factors and consequences among older persons

Alice C. Scheffer1, Marieke J. Schuurmans2, Nynke van Dijk3, Truus van der Hooft2 and Sophia E. de Rooij1,

1 Department of Geriatrics, Academic Medical Center, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
2 Department of Nursing Science, University Medical Center Utrecht, The Netherlands
3 Department of Biostatistics and Clinical Epidemiology, Academic Medical Center, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Address correspondence to: Sophia E.J.A. de Rooij. Tel: (31) 20 5662171; Fax: (31) 20 5669325. Email: s.e.derooij{at}amc.nl

Background fear of falling (FOF) is a major health problem among the elderly living in communities, present in older people who have fallen but also in older people who have never experienced a fall. The aims of this study were 4-fold: first, to study methods to measure FOF; second, to study the prevalence of FOF among fallers and non-fallers; third, to identify factors related to FOF; and last, to investigate the relationship between FOF and possible consequences among community-dwelling older persons.

Methods several databases were systematically searched, and selected articles were cross-checked for other relevant publications.

Results a systematic review identified 28 relevant studies among the community-dwelling elderly. Due to the many different kinds of measurements used, the reported prevalence of FOF varied between 3 and 85%. The main risk factors for developing FOF are at least one fall, being female and being older. The main consequences were identified as a decline in physical and mental performance, an increased risk of falling and progressive loss of health-related quality of life.

Conclusion this review shows that there is great variation in the reported prevalence of FOF in older people and that there are multiple associated factors. Knowledge of risk factors of FOF may be useful in developing multidimensional strategies to decrease FOF and improve quality of life. However, the only identified modifiable risk factor of FOF is a previous fall. In order to measure the impact of interventions, a uniform measurement strategy for FOF should be adopted, and follow-up studies should be conducted.

Keywords: fear of falling, prevalence, risk factors, measurement, older persons, elderly, systematic review

Received 25 February 2007; accepted in revised form 17 September 2007.


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