Falls among Elderly in a Rural Community: Incidence and Determinants

Abstract

Background: Falls are one of the emerging public health issues and a barrier for active aging. There is a scarcity of studies
on incidence of falls among elderly population which provide information on real burden from rural part of India. Hence,
the study was undertaken to find out the incidence of falls and determinants among elderly population.
Materials and Methods: A prospective cohort study was carried out by involving 260 elderlies in a primary health centre
area of Bengaluru by using simple random sampling technique over a period of one year. Data was collected regarding,
socio-personal characteristics, substance use, co-morbidities and self-perceived health status using interview method and
assessment of housing conditions was also undertaken. House visit was conducted to explain the purpose of the study
and to distribute falls dairy. Telephonic interview was undertaken to collect history of falls and related information once
in three months and at the end of one-year elderly were revisited to confirm the falls. All the data was analysed using Epi
info 7.2.2.1.
Results: The incidence of falls among elderly was 48.2%. The socio-personal characteristics such as age group ≥70 years
(p<0.001), low/medium standard of living index (SLI) (p=0.03), poor/average self-perceived health status (p=0.001),
provision of separate living room (p=0.0006) and location of bathroom and toilet outside the house (p=0.04) were
associated with falls.
Conclusion: The incidence of falls among elderly was more compared to previous studies and associated with advanced
age, poor income, poor self-perceived health status, living alone in separate room and location of bathroom and toilet
outside the house.