Fear of Falling among Community-dwelling Sedentary and Active Older People.
Alejandra-Ximena Araya, Evelyn Iriarte
PMID 33687817WHAT IT FOUND
Fear of falling did not differ between active and sedentary older adults.
Sedentary participants had higher depression screening scores, but this survey cannot show that activity changed either outcome.
Key findings
01Fear of falling scores did not differ significantly between sedentary and active older adults: 12.0±5.1 versus 11.0±4.0 on a 7-28 scale, with higher scores meaning greater fear.
02Sedentary participants had significantly higher depression screening scores than active participants: 4.2±3.8 versus 0.8±0.4 on the 15-item Yesavage scale, where 6 or more indicates possible depression screening.
03The most feared activities in both groups were stairs, reaching overhead or to the ground, and walking on slopes.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTsWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The study was cross-sectional, so it cannot show that physical activity caused lower fear of falling or lower depression, or that fear caused sedentary behavior. Participants were from one private outpatient geriatric center in Santiago, Chile, and many were independent with no cognitive impairment, so the results may not apply to frailer or cognitively impaired older adults. The sample size may have been too small to detect differences in fear of falling. Physical activity was classified by WHO minutes, not by type, frequency, or intensity, which the authors say may explain the lack of differences in fear of falling. The sample reported more physical activity than the national older adult population, so it may not represent sedentary older adults broadly.
Declared interests
Funded by Project Elderly and Aging 2012 (AME#3). The supplied text reports no other conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that physical activity prevents fear of falling. The fear scores did not differ significantly between active and sedentary participants, and the study was cross-sectional.