Nursing and Physiotherapy Department, University of Salamanca, 37007 Salamanca, Spain.
Institute of Biomedical Research of Salamanca, 37007 Salamanca, Spain.
Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2023 Mar 10;20(6):4921. doi: 10.3390/ijerph20064921.
Old age represents a social group that is undergoing continuous expansion. The aging population will be prone to chronic diseases and falls, which is a marker of frailty and a public health problem. This study aims to examine the relationship between living conditions and the prevalence of the risk of falls in older adults within the community. As an observational cross-sectional study, intentional sampling was carried out on residents of the metropolitan area over 75 years of age. The socio-demographic data of the subjects and their history of falls were collected. Additionally, the subjects were evaluated on the risk of falling, basic activities of daily living, such as walking and balance, fragility, and their fear of falling. The statistical analyses used were based on the Shapiro-Wilk test for normality, statistics of central tendency with description, mean (M) and dispersion, standard deviation (SD), bivariate contingency tables for studying the relationships between the variables, and the analysis of Pearson's relational statistics (χ). The comparisons of means were resolved by parametric or non-parametric routes. We obtained the following results: 1. The socio-demographic profile of our sample consisted of adults over 75 years of age, the majority of whom were overweight or obese women living in an urban area, specifically in an apartment, and receiving care; 2. Older people in the studied community had mild dependency and frailty, and were also at severe risk of falls; 3. The prevalence of falls was higher in women than in men in this study. Through these results, we confirmed the relationship between living conditions and the prevalence of risk of falls in older adults within the community.
老年代表着一个不断扩大的社会群体。人口老龄化将更容易患慢性病和跌倒，这是衰弱的标志，也是一个公共卫生问题。本研究旨在探讨社区老年人生活条件与跌倒风险发生率之间的关系。作为一项观察性横断面研究，对 75 岁以上的大都市地区居民进行了有意抽样。收集了受试者的社会人口统计学数据及其跌倒史。此外，还评估了受试者的跌倒风险、步行和平衡等基本日常生活活动能力、脆弱性以及对跌倒的恐惧。统计分析基于正态性的 Shapiro-Wilk 检验、中心趋势的统计描述、均值 (M) 和离散度、标准差 (SD)、用于研究变量之间关系的双变量列联表，以及 Pearson 关系统计分析 (χ)。均值的比较通过参数或非参数路径解决。我们得到了以下结果：1. 我们样本的社会人口统计学特征包括 75 岁以上的成年人，其中大多数是超重或肥胖的女性，居住在城市地区，具体是在公寓里，并接受护理；2. 研究社区的老年人有轻度依赖和脆弱性，并且也处于严重的跌倒风险中；3. 在这项研究中，女性跌倒的发生率高于男性。通过这些结果，我们证实了社区老年人生活条件与跌倒风险发生率之间的关系。
