Prevalence and correlates of fear of falling among elderly population in urban area of Karnataka, India
Context: Falls are a major public health problem in the elderly population. Fear of falling (FOF) among elderly persons can compromise quality of life by limiting mobility, diminished sense of well-being and reduced social interactions. India is undergoing a demographic transitional phase with urban...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Wolters Kluwer Medknow Publications
2014-01-01
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| Series: | Journal of Mid-Life Health |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.jmidlifehealth.org/article.asp?issn=0976-7800;year=2014;volume=5;issue=3;spage=150;epage=155;aulast=Mane |
| Summary: | Context: Falls are a major public health problem in the elderly population. Fear of falling (FOF) among elderly persons can compromise quality of life by limiting mobility, diminished sense of well-being and reduced social interactions. India is undergoing a demographic transitional phase with urban elderly population of 6.72% in 2001. The major challenge would be on the prevention of falls among them. Hence there is a need to highlight the problems related to fall faced by the elderly in India.
Objective: To study the prevalence of FOF and its correlates among the elderly population in urban area.
Materials and Methods: 250 elderly subjects above 60 years were randomly selected from urban area and interviewed for FOF using Short Fall Efficacy Scale-I (FES-I) , history of falls and risk factors.
Results: The prevalence of FOF among the elderly was 33.2%. The significant correlates of FOF were educational status, family type, associated health problems, history of fall in past 6 months, worried of fall again among fallers, fearfulness of fall again among fallers, restriction of daily activities and depression among them. The insignificant correlates were gender and socio-economic status.
Conclusion: FOF is a health problem among the elderly living in urban India needs urgent attention. It represents a significant threat to socialization, independence and morbidity or mortality. Knowledge of correlates of FOF may be useful in developing multidimensional strategies to reduce it among elderly. |
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| ISSN: | 0976-7800 0976-7819 |