A 2-YEAR LONGITUDINAL-STUDY OF FALLS IN 482 COMMUNITY-DWELLING ELDERLY ADULTS

Background. Falls are a common occurrence in elderly persons, includin g relatively healthy, community-dwelling men and women. A significant percentage of falls result in soft-tissue injuries. Although some risk factors for falls have been identified, more research is needed on ri sk factors for injurious falls. In addition, there is little informati on from prospective studies oil the long-term consequences of falls ot her than injury. Methods. Risk factors and consequences of falls were analyzed in a 24-month prospective study of 482 elderly (mean age 74 /- 6.7 years) men and women Living independently in the community. Fal ls and injurious falls were as certained by telephone and by a bimonth ly postcard follow-up. Predictor variables were obtained from a baseli ne assessment and follow-up questionnaire. Outcomes were defined as ra tes of falls and injurious falls, circumstances surrounding the fall, and the long-term correlates of falls. Results. Sixty-one percent of t he participants (53.7% of men and 65.7% of women) reported one or more falls during the 2-year follow-up. The crude rates of injurious falls were 11.17 per 1000 person-months in women and 7.23 per 1000 person-m onths in men. Age, history of fracture, low physical health, and low o r high mobility level were risk factors for injurious falls in both se xes. The inability to balance unsupported on one leg was associated wi th injurious falls in women (rate ratio [RR] = 3.0; 95% confidence int erval 1.9-4.7). Self-reported cognitive, physical health, and mobility impairments were greater in female fallers compared to the nonfallers . Conclusions. Falls and injurious falls without fracture are frequent events for healthy elderly people and may be associated with morbid c hanges in cognitive status, physical health, and mobility.