Citation

Park JI, Yang JC, Chung S. Psychiatry Investig. 2017; 14(6): 894-899.

Affiliation

Research Institute of Clinical Medicine of Chonbuk National University-Biomedical Research Institute of Chonbuk National University Hospital, Jeonju, Republic of Korea.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2017, Korean Neuropsychiatric Association)

DOI

10.4306/pi.2017.14.6.894

PMID

29209398

PMCID

PMC5714736

Abstract

Little is known about the risk factors for the fear of falling in elderly Korean individuals. Thus, the present study aimed to investigate the risk factors for fear of falling in a representative elderly population of over 10,000 individuals aged 65 years and older. A multivariate multinomial analysis revealed that the risk factors associated with a severe fear of falling were being female [odds ratio (OR)=4.396], older age (OR=5.550 for those aged ≥85 years), lower level of education (OR=0.719 for those with ≥13 years of schooling), chronic illness (OR=2.788 for those with more than three chronic illnesses), poor subjective health (OR=6.268), functional impairments (OR=2.340), a history of falling (OR=7.062), and depression (OR=1.774). The ORs for each of these risk factors were particularly high in participants with a severe fear of falling. Particularly, a history of falling and/or poor subjective health status had strong independent associations with the fear of falling. The present findings may help health care professionals identify individuals that would benefit from interventions aimed at reducing the fear of falling.

Language: en

Keywords

Depression; Fear of falling; Risk factor; Subjective health status