Comorbid pain and falls among Chinese older adults: the association, healthcare utilization and the role of subjective and objective physical functioning

BMC Geriatrics

Research

Yao Meng¹  Yang Yang¹  Sha Li¹  Rumei Yang¹  Haocen Wang²  Yun Jiang³ 

[1] School of Nursing, Nanjing Medical University, 101 Longmian Avenue, Jiangning District, 211166, Jiangsu, Nanjing, China;School of Nursing, Purdue University, Indiana, USA;School of Nursing, University of Michigan, Michigan, USA;

关键词: Pain;    Falls;    Subjective measure;    Objective measure;    Physical function;   

DOI  :  10.1186/s12877-023-03901-6

 received in 2022-09-09, accepted in 2023-03-17,  发布年份 2023

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundPain and falls are significant disabling health conditions which cause substantial economic burdens on older adults and their families. Physical functioning (both subjective and objective) might play a significant role in older adults’ pain and falls. In this study we aimed to examine: (1) the relationship between pain and falls among Chinese older adults; (2) pain-fall status (i.e., comorbid pain-fall, pain-only, fall-only, and neither-pain-nor-fall) in relation to healthcare utilization; and (3) whether physical functioning measured either subjectively or objectively would contribute differently to the pain intensity and to the occurrence of falls.MethodsWe used a nationally-representative sample of older adults from the 2011–2012 baseline survey of the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (N = 4,461, aged 60–95 years). Logistic, linear, and negative binomial models adjusted for demographic variables were used in the analysis.ResultsOverall, 36% of older adults reported pain, 20% had fall occurrences, and 11% had comorbid pain and falls. Pain intensity was significantly associated with falls. Individuals in groups of pain-only, fall-only, and comorbid pain-fall reported significantly higher healthcare utilization, that is, more frequent inpatient care and doctor visits than those in the neither-pain-nor-fall group. Subjective, not objective, physical functioning was associated with pain and falls.ConclusionPain and falls are significantly associated with each other, and both can lead to increased healthcare utilization. Compared to objective physical functioning, subjective physical functioning is more likely to correlate with pain and falls, suggesting that self-reported physical status should be considered when designing pain-fall preventive strategies.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© The Author(s) 2023

【 图 表 】

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