Incidence, risk factors and consequences of falling injuries among the community-dwelling elderly in Shihpai, Taiwan.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Falls causing injuries among older people and the consequences of those injuries are of increasing concern to public health practitioners. The aims of this study were to determine the incidence, characteristics and risk factors of fall injuries among the community-dwelling elderly in Shihpai, Taiwan; the impact on quality of life and health service utilization was also comprehensively studied.
METHODS: 1361 community-dwelling elderly who had been enrolled in the Shihpai eye study (1999-2000) were included. Subjects were interviewed and examined by trained interviewers, and data such as demographics, medical conditions, blood pressure, ophthalmic examination, fall history and quality of life (SF-36) were collected. Chi-square tests, analyses of covariance and multiple logistic regressions were performed as the main statistical methods.
RESULTS: The mean age of the participants was 72.2 (range, 65-91) years old. 16.3% of the elderly persons interviewed had experienced at least one fall; among those, up to 50% had suffered mild injuries, and the incidence of remarkable injury was 27.6%. There were no significant differences in the location or time of falling, but there were different risk factors and consequences in injury severity. Fallers with remarkable injuries had a higher incidence of hospitalization and a greater fear of falling. No statistically significant decline in quality of life with increasing severity of falling injury was identified after a 12-month follow-up period.
CONCLUSIONS: Gender, visual impairment and orthostatic hypotension were identified as the major risk factors of fall injuries in the elderly. These factors should be emphasized in order to reduce fall injuries in geriatrics.