Relationship between the frequency of falls, fear of falling and functional abilities in women aged 65 and over

Sunčica Ivanović; Sanja Trgovčević; Biljana Kocić; Snežana Tomašević-Todorović; Milica Jeremić-Knežević; Aleksandar Knežević

doi:10.2298/VSP181125131I

Sunčica Ivanović College of Applied Health Sciences, Ćuprija, Serbia
Sanja Trgovčević College of Applied Health Sciences, Ćuprija, Serbia
Biljana Kocić Institute of Public Health, Niš, Serbia
Snežana Tomašević-Todorović University of Niš, Faculty of Medicine, Niš, Serbia
Milica Jeremić-Knežević University of Novi Sad, Faculty of Medicine, Novi Sad, Serbia
Aleksandar Knežević University of Niš, Faculty of Medicine, Niš, Serbia

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2298/VSP181125131I

Keywords: nesrećni padovi, stare osobe, žene, strah, motorna aktivnost

Abstract

Background/Aim. An increased tendency to fall and subsequent occurrence of injuries due to decline in the functional abilities are some of the many problems in older persons. The aim of the study was to determine the differences in functional abilities and the expressiveness of fear of falling between the women aged 65 and over who experienced a fall in the past 12 months (G1) and those that did not (G2). Methods. In this cross-sectional study, 236 women aged 65 and over were included. Fall history was based on self–reporting, the fear of a fall was estimated based on The Falls Efficacy Scale International – FESI, while the functional ability was measured by The Lawton Instrumental Activities of Daily Living – IADL. Results. Just under half of the women in the sample reported that one or more falls occurred in the last 12 months. Through the connectivity analysis, in both groups (G1 and G2), coefficients of correlation achieved statistical significance between the functional ability and fear of falling. A strong and negative correlation between IADL and FESI score in both groups, G1 (ρ = -0.695; p < 0.001) and G2 (ρ = -0.657; p < 0.001), was confirmed. Conclusion. The improvement of functional ability in women aged 65 and over could lower the risk of falling in this population.

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