Sex Differences in Factors Associated with Falls in Community-Dwelling Older Adults: Using the 2017 National Survey of Older Koreans

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

Aims: Falls in older adults are a major public health issue, and it results in hospital admission, frailty, disability, burden of treatment, depression, and death. Previous studies have identified falls-related risk factors such as sensory limitations, cognitive impairment, frailty, comorbidities, and physical function. Although these risk factors vary between men and women, especially in older adults, only a few studies have been conducted to investigate the association between sex difference and falls. This study aimed to identify sex differences in the factors associated with falls in community-dwelling older adults in South Korea.

Methods: This study was a secondary data analysis using the dataset from the 2017 National Survey of Older Koreans. A total of 10,236 elderly adults aged 65 years and above were enrolled. We excluded 63 who were “unmatched” for falls. Data on frailty, instrumental activities of daily living (IADL); activities of daily living (ADL); depressive symptoms; cognitive functions; chronic health problems; and socio-demographic characteristics were collected. The data were analyzed with descriptive statistics, t-test, Chi-square test, and logistic regressions.

Results: This study comprised 4,109 (40.1%) men and 6,127 (59.9%) women, with the majority aged 65 to 74 years (52.1%). In total, 1,619 (15.8%) participants experienced at least one fall in the past year. In men, the factors significantly associated with falls were middle school education (OR=1.471; CI=95% 1.096~1.972), frailty (OR=1.546; CI=95% 1.076~2.220), mild depression (OR=2.205; CI=95% 1.611~3.017), and osteoporosis (OR=3.326; CI=95% 1.958~5.652). In women, the factors significantly associated with falls were living alone (OR=1.331; CI=95% 1.116~1.589), IADL (OR=1.081; CI=95% 1.039~1.126), mild depression (OR=1.944; CI=95% 1.612~2.344), severe depression (OR=1.346; CI=95% 1.113~1.627), osteoporosis (OR=1.303; CI=95% 1.118~1.591), and arthritis (OR=1.158; CI=95% 1.008~1.331).

Conclusions: Developing fall prevention programs should consider sex-related differences especially among community-dwelling elderly individuals.