Citation

Neri SGR, Oliveira JS, Dario AB, Lima RM, Tiedemann A. J. Gerontol. A Biol. Sci. Med. Sci. 2019; ePub(ePub): ePub.

Affiliation

Institute for Musculoskeletal Health, School of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Australia.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2019, Gerontological Society of America)

DOI

10.1093/gerona/glz272

PMID

31750880

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Recent investigations suggest that obesity may be associated with an increased risk of falls; however, this theory has yet to be definitively confirmed. This systematic review and meta-analysis examined the strength of the association between obesity and falls, multiple falls, fall-related injuries, and fall-related fractures among older adults.

METHODS: MEDLINE, Embase, CINAHL, PsycINFO, SPORTDiscus, LILACS and Web of Science databases were searched to identify observational studies that assessed the association between obesity and fall-related outcomes in participants aged 60 years and older. Two independent reviewers performed data extraction and quality assessment. Relative risks (RR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were pooled using random effect meta-analyses.

RESULTS: Thirty-one studies including a total of 1,758,694 participants were selected from 7,815 references. Pooled estimates showed that obese older adults have an increased risk of falls compared to non-obese counterparts (24 studies; RR:1.16; 95% CI: 1.07-1.26; I²:90%). Obesity was also associated with an increased risk of multiple falls (four studies; RR:1.18; 95% CI: 1.08-1.29; I²:0%). There was no evidence, however, of an association between obesity and fall-related injuries (seven studies; RR:1.04; 95% CI: 0.92-1.18; I²:65%). Fall-related fractures were reported in only one study, which demonstrated a lower risk of hip fracture with obesity (Odds Ratio: 0.65; 95% CI:0.63-0.68).

CONCLUSIONS: Obesity increases the risk of falls and multiple falls in people aged 60 years and older; however, there is insufficient evidence of an association with fall-related injuries or fractures. Prevention and treatment of obesity may play a role in preventing falls in older age.

© The Author(s) 2019. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of The Gerontological Society of America. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Language: en

Keywords

accidental falls; adiposity; aging; injuries; risk factors