Henry Roselani, Sagigi Betty, Miller Gavin, Russell Sarah G, Thompson Fintan, Quigley Rachel, Strivens Edward
Queensland Health, Cairns and Hinterland Hospital and Health Service, Cairns, Queensland, Australia.
Queensland Health, Torres and Cape Hospital and Health Service, Thursday Island, Queensland, Australia.
Australas J Ageing. 2025 Mar;44(1):e13383. doi: 10.1111/ajag.13383. Epub 2024 Oct 27.
To assess the prevalence of falls and examine associations between falls and potential risk factors in older adults of the Torres Strait Region of Australia.
Two hundred and fifty people aged ≥45 years residing in the Torres Strait, who identified as Torres Strait Islander, Aboriginal or both, were asked whether they had sustained any falls in the past year. Associations between self-reported falls and predictor variables were examined using logistic regression.
21% of participants reported at least one fall; 9% reported ≥2 falls. Participants who reported any falls in the past year were more than twice as likely to have urinary incontinence and poor mobility (p < .01) compared to participants who did not report any falls.
Around one in five respondents reported one or more falls in the past year, demonstrating that falls are a significant issue for older adults of the Torres Strait. Fall prevention strategies that are effective in other populations are likely to be beneficial to the region but need to be informed by local consultation and implemented in partnership with the people of the Torres Strait.
评估澳大利亚托雷斯海峡地区老年人跌倒的患病率,并研究跌倒与潜在风险因素之间的关联。
询问了250名年龄≥45岁、居住在托雷斯海峡、自认为是托雷斯海峡岛民、原住民或两者皆是身份的人,他们在过去一年中是否有过跌倒。使用逻辑回归分析自我报告的跌倒与预测变量之间的关联。
21%的参与者报告至少跌倒过一次;9%的参与者报告跌倒过≥2次。与未报告跌倒的参与者相比,过去一年中报告有跌倒的参与者出现尿失禁和行动不便的可能性要高出两倍多(p < 0.01)。
约五分之一的受访者报告在过去一年中跌倒过一次或多次,这表明跌倒对托雷斯海峡的老年人来说是一个重大问题。在其他人群中有效的预防跌倒策略可能对该地区有益,但需要通过当地咨询来提供信息,并与托雷斯海峡的居民合作实施。