Factors associated with falls during voluntary self-isolation among community-dwelling older people: a longitudinal study.
Akihiko Murayama, Daisuke Higuchi, Kosuke Saida and 2 others
PMID 37131350WHAT IT FOUND
During self-isolation, older people who reported subjective cognitive decline or unexplained fatigue had significantly higher odds of falling.
These specific frailty symptoms predicted falls independently of age, gender, or total frailty score.
Key findings
01In multivariate analysis, answering "No" to recalling events from 5 minutes ago was associated with increased odds of falling (OR 3.54, 95% CI 1.05-11.9).
02Answering "Yes" to feeling tired for no reason in the past 2 weeks was associated with increased odds of falling (OR 2.93, 95% CI 1.03-8.28).
03Subjective walking speed was significantly associated with falls in univariate analysis but lost significance in the multivariate model.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
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What it does not show
The follow-up rate was low (35.7% of those who responded at baseline returned the follow-up questionnaire), which may introduce selection bias. All data, including fall incidence and frailty symptoms, was self-reported, creating potential for recall and response bias. The study excluded participants using long-term care insurance to reduce cognitive decline confounders, which limits generalisability to more frail or cognitively impaired populations. The Frailty Screening Index is not specifically designed or validated as a fall risk assessment tool. The study did not measure objective physical function, fear of falling, or environmental factors.
Declared interests
The authors declare no conflicts of interest. Funding was provided by the Nippon Life Insurance Foundation and the Japanese Society for the Promotion of Science KAKENHI.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume that subjective walking speed is an independent fall risk factor based on this study. While it differed between groups in initial comparisons, it did not predict falls after adjusting for other factors like age and prior history.