Citation

Soares WJS, Lopes AD, Nogueira E, Candido V, Moraes SA, Perracini MR. J. Aging Phys. Act. 2018; ePub(ePub): 1-10.

Affiliation

Masters' and Doctoral Programs in Gerontology, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Universidade de Campinas, Campinas, Brazil.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2018, Human Kinetics Publishers)

DOI

10.1123/japa.2017-0413

PMID

29543113

Abstract

This systematic review examines the association between physical activity (PA) level and risk of falling in community-dwelling older adults. A search of PubMed, Embase, CINAHL, Sport Discus, and Web of Science was performed in January 2017. Four prospective cohort studies investigating the incidence of falls in a period of at least 12 months and its association with the level of PA in people 60-plus years old were reviewed and pooled for meta-analysis. The pooled risk ratio for being a recurrent faller (2,420 participants) was 39% higher among those who were in the lowest PA level (RR = 1.39 95% CI [1.17 - 1.65]; I²= 0%, p = 0.43; p < 0.001). The association between being a faller (7,927 participants) and PA level was inconclusive. This review identified that the benefit of general physical activity for preventing falls is associated with the adopted PA level.

Language: en

Keywords

accidental falls; meta-analysis; older adults; physical activity level