Korea’s elderly population has been growing, and its fitness levels and quality of life have been receiving attention as the society continues to age. One of the most significant reasons for the loss of function is falls; thus, the assessment of the...
Korea’s elderly population has been growing, and its fitness levels and quality of life have been receiving attention as the society continues to age. One of the most significant reasons for the loss of function is falls; thus, the assessment of the risk factors for falls can help to anticipate the functional independence and lifestyles of the ageing population. Falling is the result of the comprehensive interaction among a variety of risk factors, so various risk factors should be assessed to anticipate and prevent falls. For this reason, the aim of this study was to investigate the influence of the risk factors for falls based on the lifestyles of the elderly using the components of ICF as the framework for the comprehensive assessment.
267 elderly people aged over 65 years who had experienced falling more than once in a recent year were recruited from sanatoriums and local communities in D, K, and Y city. Age, height, weight, MMSE-K, sway length with open/close eyes, sway velocity, LOS(limits of stability), MMT(manual muscle test) of lower extremities such as hip, knee, and ankle joint, and functional tests such as FRT(functional reach test), FTSST(five times sit to stand test), TUG(timed up & go test), 10MWT(timed 10-meter walk test), and SFBBS(short form Berg balance scale) as well as questionnaires including facilitators and barriers in MQE(measurement of quality of the environment), and four areas of HACE(home and community environment) and QOL(WHO quality of life-BREF) were investigated in this study.
As a result, the lifestyles of the elderly were found to be affected by factors such as age, height, MMSE-K, sway length with open eyes, sway velocity with open/closed eyes, LOS, strength of dorsiflexor, plantar flexor, knee extensor/flexor, hip flexor/extensor, and hip abductor/adductor, FRT, FTSST, TUG, 10MWK, SFBBS, physical health, mental health, social relationships, and environment in QOL, barrier environment in MQE, residential mobility, local community mobility, traffic factors, and personal attitude in HACE. In addition, cut-off value, sensitivity, specificity, and ROC-AUC, which are the baselines of each risk factor, were found so that Korean elderly people could be divided into those who were community dwelling and those who were independent. Moreover, the logistic regression model calculated by each component of ICF was suitable, and in the regression model of body function and structure, the evaluation items in order of sway velocity with open and closed eyes increased the possibility of dependent lifestyle whenever they increased by one unit. The items in order of dorsiflexor strength, knee extensor strength, sway length with open eyes, and plantarflexor strength increased the possibility of independent lifestyle whenever they increased by one unit. In the regression model of activities and participation, the elderly were likely to have a dependent lifestyle whenever TUG increased by one unit, and the items in order of 10MWT and SFBBS increased the possibility of independent lifestyle whenever they increased by one unit. In the regression of environmental factors, the items in order of barrier environment in MQE, social relationships in QOL, and environment in QOL increased the possibility of independent lifestyle whenever they increased by one unit.
Based on these results, this study may provide the baselines for anticipating the lifestyles of the elderly in Korea and could act as the basic material for studies related to falling. They could also help to better understand the lifestyles of the elderly by introducing the sensitivity, specificity, and ROC-AUC of measurements to predict falls and the risk factors for falls in the elderly.