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Age and Ageing Advance Access published online on February 12, 2008
Age and Ageing, doi:10.1093/ageing/afn019
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Copyright © The Author 2008. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the British Geriatrics Society.

Epidemiology of balance and dizziness in a national population: findings from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing

Kara N. Stevens1, Iain A. Lang1, Jack M. Guralnik2 and David Melzer1

1 Peninsula Medical School, Epidemiology and Public Health Group, UK
2 National Institute on Aging, Epidemiology and Demography Section, USA

Address correspondence to: Iain A. Lang. Email: iain.lang{at}pms.ac.uk

Objective: to identify socio-economic, behavioural and disease status risks for impaired balance or self-reported dizziness in older people from a large population-based study.

Methods: data were from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA), for 2,925 participants, aged 65+. Multivariate models were used to assess the associations between balance and dizziness and disease status, health behaviours, grip strength and socio-economic markers.

Results: there were 21.5% (n = 619) participants with impaired balance and 11.1% (n = 375) reported dizziness. Impaired balance was statistically significantly associated with age, diabetes (OR = 1.53), arthritis (OR = 1.33), eyesight (OR = 1.94) and grip strength. The wealthiest 20% of participants were less likely to have impaired balance than the poorest 20% (OR = 0.46). Dizziness problems were not associated with age, gender or wealth, but were significantly associated with an abnormal heart rhythm (OR = 1.85), hearing (OR = 1.81), eyesight (OR = 1.72) and grip strength.

Conclusion: the epidemiology of impaired balance differs from that of dizziness, and risk assessment approaches to prevent falls may need to elicit information on different problem-specific factors. Impaired balance test performance in older people may be added to the many outcomes showing strong socio-economic gradients.

Keywords: balance, dizziness, socio-economic status, elderly

Received 27 July 2007; accepted in revised form 9 October 2007.


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