Citation

Tran TV, Phan PT. J. Women Aging. 2018; 30(1): 75-84.

Affiliation

Human Services , California State University Dominguez Hills , Carson , California , USA.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2018, Informa - Taylor and Francis Group)

DOI

10.1080/08952841.2016.1265373

PMID

28157449

Abstract

Serious psychological distress and falls are two major public health problems among the elderly. This study aims to test the hypothesis that although serious psychological distress can increase the risks of falls among the elderly, it tends to affect elderly women more than elderly men. Data of this study are from the 2011 California Health Survey Interviews (CHIS). We extracted a sample of 13,153 respondents aged 65 and older for this study, including 8,087 females and 5,066 males. We tested both unadjusted and adjusted interaction effects using bivariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis. Elderly women with serious psychological distress had the greatest likelihood of falls as compared to men with serious psychological distress and men and women without serious psychological distress. With respect to the covariates, limitations of physical activity and poor self-rated health status, Asian race, and older age were more likely to be associated with falls. This study provides further information on sex disparities of falls among the elderly such that serious psychological distress has a greater impact on falls for elderly women than elderly men. Thus, the findings of our studies suggest that mental health services and intervention can be useful to prevent falls for elderly women.

Language: en

Keywords

Elderly; ethnicity; falls and serious psychological distress; gender; race