Skip to main content

ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Public Health
Sec. Aging and Public Health
Volume 12 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2024.1450745
This article is part of the Research Topic Cognitive Impairment and Physical Function in Older Adults View all 37 articles

Prevalence of falls and associations with family functioning among communitydwelling older adults in Guangzhou, China

Provisionally accepted
Si-Yu Sun Si-Yu Sun 1Zhi-Wei Wang Zhi-Wei Wang 2Zhi-Li Peng Zhi-Li Peng 2Lexin Yuan Lexin Yuan 3Wen-Hao Yang Wen-Hao Yang 1Wen-Jian Zhang Wen-Jian Zhang 4Jia-Min Chen Jia-Min Chen 5Wei-Quan Lin Wei-Quan Lin 5*Wei Zhu Wei Zhu 1,6*
  • 1 School of Public Health, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
  • 2 Department of 12320 Hotline Management, Guangzhou Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Guangzhou, China
  • 3 Guangzhou Huiai Hospital, Guangzhou Brain Hospital, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, China
  • 4 School of Biomedical Engineering, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China
  • 5 Department of Basic Public Health, Guangzhou Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Guangzhou, China
  • 6 Department of Science and Education, Guangzhou Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Guangzhou, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Introduction: Falls are the primary cause of unintentional fatalities among individuals aged 65 and older. Enhancing research on fall prevention among older adults is an urgent priority. Consequently, this study aims to investigate the prevalence and influencing factors of falls among community-dwelling older adults in Guangzhou, China, with a particular emphasis on the impact of family functioning. Method: We used a multi-stage stratified cluster random sampling technique to successfully survey 2,399 individuals aged 65 and above across 11 districts in Guangzhou City. Data on sociodemographic characteristics, health and lifestyle factors, and fall incidents were collected through telephone interviews. Chi-square tests, Lasso regression, and logistic regression were utilized to pinpoint fall risk factors. Association rule mining uncovered the relationships between falls and associated variables. Result: A total of 390 participants reported experiencing falls, the prevalence of falls among older adults was 16.3% (95%CI: 14.82%~17.78%). Logistic regression analysis identified several risk factors for falls among older adults: female[OR = 1.511, 95%CI (1.188-1.922)], age 85 years and older[OR = 2.332, 95%CI (1.447-3.758)], stroke[OR = 1.821, 95%CI (1.038-3.192)], hypoglycemia[OR = 1.639, 95%CI (1.228-2.186)], visual impairment[OR = 1.418, 95%CI (1.097-1.833)], need to be cared for[OR = 1.722, 95%CI (1.339-2.215)], chronic pain[OR = 1.663, 95%CI (1.302-2.124)], and anxiety[OR = 1.725, 95%CI (1.243-2.395)]. In addition, it was shown that a wellfunctioning family was a protective factor against falls [OR = 0.589, 95%CI (0.44-0.789)].The prevalence of falls among community-dwelling older adults in Guangzhou City was high, and the influencing factors were complex. It is recommended to develop and implement comprehensive intervention measures for high-risk groups, including those who are females, older adults, and suffer from chronic diseases while paying special attention to the care of family members for older adults.

    Keywords: falls, older adults, Risk factors, family functioning, LASSO regression, association rules

    Received: 18 Jun 2024; Accepted: 18 Nov 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Sun, Wang, Peng, Yuan, Yang, Zhang, Chen, Lin and Zhu. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence:
    Wei-Quan Lin, Department of Basic Public Health, Guangzhou Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Guangzhou, 510440, China
    Wei Zhu, School of Public Health, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.