Citation

Moreira BS, Andrade ACS, Xavier CC, Proietti FA, Braga LS, Friche AAL, Caiaffa WT. Int. J. Environ. Health Res. 2020; ePub(ePub): ePub.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2020, Informa - Taylor and Francis Group)

DOI

10.1080/09603123.2020.1782354

PMID

32568556

Abstract

Few studies have examined the neighborhood features related to falls in the older population in low-and-middle-income countries, including Brazil. This study aimed to evaluate if perceived neighborhood features are related to falls among older Brazilian adults living in a large urban area. This cross-sectional study was conducted using data from 834 participants (≥60 years) from a multistage household survey in Belo Horizonte, Brazil. The association between fall history in the previous year and perceived neighborhood features (quality of services, physical and social disorder, and safety) was examined using multilevel logistic regression. The fall prevalence was 13.6%. Older adults living in neighborhoods with a higher physical disorder were more likely to report fall in the previous year, even after controlling for demographic, clinical and social variables (OR = 2.59; 95% CI = 1.14-5.87). The other neighborhood features investigated were not associated with a fall history. Our findings suggest that improving the physical environment represents an important strategy to prevent falls in the Brazilian urban older population.

Language: en

Keywords

aged; Falls; multilevel analysis; urban health; neighborhood