The association of fear of falling and physical and mental Health-Related Quality of Life (HRQoL) among community-dwelling older persons; a cross-sectional study of Urban Health Centres Europe (UHCE)

BMC Geriatrics

Research

Amy (A.) van Grieken¹  Hein (H.) Raat¹  Sophie(S. A.) Korenhof¹  Carmen (C. B.) Franse¹  Siok Swan (S. S.) Tan²  Arpana (A.) Verma³  Tamara (T.) Alhambra⁴ 

[1] Department of Public Health, Erasmus University Medical Center, PO Box 2040, 3000 CA, Rotterdam, the Netherlands;Department of Public Health, Erasmus University Medical Center, PO Box 2040, 3000 CA, Rotterdam, the Netherlands;Inholland University of Applied Sciences, Rotterdam, the Netherlands;Manchester Urban Collaboration On Health, Centre for Epidemiology, Division of Population Health, Health Services Research and Primary Care, Manchester Academic Health Science Centre, The University of Manchester, Manchester, UK;Polibienestar Research Institute, University of Valencia, Valencia, Spain;

关键词: Fear of falling;    Health-related quality of life;    Community-dwelling older adults;    Accidental falls;    Quality of life;    Aged 80 and over;    Independent living;    Europe;   

DOI  :  10.1186/s12877-023-04004-y

 received in 2022-06-24, accepted in 2023-04-26,  发布年份 2023

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundThe share of people over 80 years in the European Union is estimated to increase two-and-a-half-fold from 2000 to 2100. A substantial share of older persons experiences fear of falling. This fear is partly associated with a fall in the recent past. Because of the associations between fear of falling, avoiding physical activity, and the potential impact of those on health, an association between fear of falling and low health-related quality of life, is suggested. This study examined the association of fear of falling with physical and mental Health-Related Quality of Life (HRQoL) among community-dwelling older persons in five European countries.MethodsA cross-sectional study was conducted using baseline data of community-dwelling persons of 70 years and older participating in the Urban Health Centers Europe project in five European countries: United Kingdom, Greece, Croatia, the Netherlands and Spain. This study assessed fear of falling with the Short Falls Efficacy Scale-International and HRQoL with the 12-Item Short-Form Health Survey. The association between low, moderate or high fear of falling and HRQoL was examined using adjusted multivariable linear regression models.ResultsData of 2189 persons were analyzed (mean age 79.6 years; 60.6% females). Among the participants, 1096 (50.1%) experienced low fear of falling; 648 (29.6%) moderate fear of falling and 445 (20.3%) high fear of falling. Compared to those who reported low fear of falling in multivariate analysis, participants who reported moderate or high fear of falling experienced lower physical HRQoL (β = -6.10, P < 0.001 and β = -13.15, P < 0.001, respectively). In addition, participants who reported moderate or high fear of falling also experienced lower mental HRQoL than those who reported low fear of falling (β = -2.31, P < 0.001 and β = -8.80, P < 0.001, respectively).ConclusionsThis study observed a negative association between fear of falling and physical and mental HRQoL in a population of older European persons. These findings emphasize the relevance for health professionals to assess and address fear of falling. In addition, attention should be given to programs that promote physical activity, reduce fear of falling, and maintain or increase physical strength among older adults; this may contribute to physical and mental HRQoL.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© The Author(s) 2023

【 图 表 】

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