Atoyebi Oladele A, Elegbede Olusegun, Babatunde Oluwole A, Adewoye Kayode, Durowade Kabir, Parakoyi Dauda B
Department of Community Medicine, Federal Teaching Hospital, Ido-Ekiti, Nigeria.
Department of Community Medicine, Afe Babalola University, Ado Ekiti, Nigeria.
Ghana Med J. 2021 Dec;55(4):265-272. doi: 10.4314/gmj.v55i4.6.
This study assessed and compared the risk factors for falls among older adults in rural and urban communities.
A comparative cross-sectional approach was used.
The study was conducted among community-living older adults in the rural and urban communities of the most populated Local Government Area (Ado-Ekiti LGA) in Ekiti State.
The study population consisted of 624 persons aged 65 years and above recruited into rural and urban groups using multi-stage random sampling.
Data collected using validated tools and physical measurements were subjected to binary logistic regression to determine the odds of falls with relevant predictor variables among older adults in both groups.
A significantly higher proportion of participants in the urban than the rural group had experienced a fall , and the associated risks include low visual acuity, increasing age, arthritis, hearing impairment, hyperglycaemia and high BMI. Physical activity was a protective factor.
This study revealed a high risk of falls among older adults in the urban community. Early diagnosis and management of chronic conditions that increase fall risk and promote physical activity, especially among urban-dwelling older adults, are vital measures to be considered in fall prevention programmes.
Self-funded research.
本研究评估并比较了农村和城市社区老年人跌倒的风险因素。
采用比较横断面研究方法。
该研究在埃基提州人口最多的地方政府辖区（阿多-埃基提地方政府辖区）的农村和城市社区中居住的老年人中进行。
研究人群包括624名65岁及以上的老年人，通过多阶段随机抽样分为农村组和城市组。
使用经过验证的工具收集的数据和身体测量结果进行二元逻辑回归，以确定两组老年人中跌倒与相关预测变量的几率。
城市组中经历过跌倒的参与者比例显著高于农村组，相关风险包括视力低下、年龄增长、关节炎、听力障碍、高血糖和高体重指数。身体活动是一个保护因素。
本研究揭示了城市社区老年人跌倒的高风险。对增加跌倒风险的慢性病进行早期诊断和管理，并促进身体活动，尤其是在城市居住的老年人中，是预防跌倒计划中应考虑的重要措施。
自筹研究资金。
