Tuo-Yu Chen1, Angelique Chan2, Karen Andersen-Ranberg3,4, Marie Herr5,6, Stefan Fors7, Bernard Jeune3, François R Herrmann8, Jean-Marie Robine9,10, Yasuyuki Gondo11, Yasuhiko Saito12. 1. Ageing Research Institute for Society and Education, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. 2. Centre for Ageing Research and Education, Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore. 3. Danish Aging Research Center, Institute of Public Health, University of Southern Denmark, Odense. 4. Department of Geriatrics, Odense University Hospital, Denmark. 5. INSERM, U1168, VIMA: Aging and Chronic Diseases. Epidemiological and Public Health Approaches, Villejuif, France. 6. Département Hospitalier d'Epidémiologie et de Santé Publique, Hôpitaux Universitaires Paris Ile-de-France Ouest, Site Sainte Périne, AP-HP, France. 7. Aging Research Center, Karolinska Institutet & Stockholm University, Sweden. 8. Division of Geriatrics, Department of Rehabilitation and Geriatrics, Geneva University Hospitals and University of Geneva, Switzerland. 9. Ecole Pratique des Hautes Etudes (EPHE), Paris, France. 10. Université de Montpellier, INSERM, U1198, France. 11. Graduate School of Human Sciences, Osaka University, Japan. 12. College of Economics and Population Research Institute, Nihon University, Tokyo, Japan.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Many studies have been conducted to investigate risk factors of falls in older people, but little is known about falls among centenarians. We analyzed the cross-sectional data from the Five-Country Oldest Old Project (5-COOP) to investigate the prevalence and correlates of falls among centenarians. METHODS: Data collection was carried out in 2011-2014 in Japan, France, Switzerland, Sweden, and Denmark. The sample consisted of 1,165 centenarians who were at least 100 years old in 2011. The outcome variable was falls in the past 6 months. Demographics, chronic conditions, pain, visual impairment, global cognitive function, dizziness and syncope, number of medications, functional limitation (ie, dressing, bathing, toileting, transferring, incontinence, and feeding), mobility difficulty, poor strength, and assistive device usage were included in the analysis. RESULTS: The prevalence of falls within the last 6 months was 33.7%, ranging from 21.6% (Japan) to 40.9% (France). Being male, experiencing dizziness, syncope, incontinence, and using assistive devices indoors were associated with an increased risk of falls among centenarians. Significant cross-country differences in the relationships between some risk factors (ie, gender, difficulty with bathing, toileting, transferring, and feeding, and using assistive devices for walking indoors and outdoors) and falls were observed. Subsample analysis using data from each country also showed that factors related to falls were different. CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of falls among centenarians is high and fall-related factors may be different than those for their younger counterparts. Given that centenarians is an emerging population, more studies investigating risk factors are needed to better understand falls among centenarians.
BACKGROUND: Many studies have been conducted to investigate risk factors of falls in older people, but little is known about falls among centenarians. We analyzed the cross-sectional data from the Five-Country Oldest Old Project (5-COOP) to investigate the prevalence and correlates of falls among centenarians. METHODS: Data collection was carried out in 2011-2014 in Japan, France, Switzerland, Sweden, and Denmark. The sample consisted of 1,165 centenarians who were at least 100 years old in 2011. The outcome variable was falls in the past 6 months. Demographics, chronic conditions, pain, visual impairment, global cognitive function, dizziness and syncope, number of medications, functional limitation (ie, dressing, bathing, toileting, transferring, incontinence, and feeding), mobility difficulty, poor strength, and assistive device usage were included in the analysis. RESULTS: The prevalence of falls within the last 6 months was 33.7%, ranging from 21.6% (Japan) to 40.9% (France). Being male, experiencing dizziness, syncope, incontinence, and using assistive devices indoors were associated with an increased risk of falls among centenarians. Significant cross-country differences in the relationships between some risk factors (ie, gender, difficulty with bathing, toileting, transferring, and feeding, and using assistive devices for walking indoors and outdoors) and falls were observed. Subsample analysis using data from each country also showed that factors related to falls were different. CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of falls among centenarians is high and fall-related factors may be different than those for their younger counterparts. Given that centenarians is an emerging population, more studies investigating risk factors are needed to better understand falls among centenarians.
Authors: Julien Dupraz; Karen Andersen-Ranberg; Stefan Fors; Marie Herr; Francois R Herrmann; Tomoko Wakui; Bernard Jeune; Jean-Marie Robine; Yasuhiko Saito; Brigitte Santos-Eggimann Journal: BMJ Open Date: 2020-03-24 Impact factor: 2.692