• International Journal of Internet, Broadcasting and Communication
• /
• v.16 no.1
• /
• pp.314-320
• /
• 2024

Objectives: This study aimed to identify the prevalence of falls in community-dwelling older adults and to identify associated factors using the 2019 Community Health Survey. Methods: The original data was from the 2019 Community Health Survey, and the study sample comprised 1,642 older adults aged 65 years and older in Jeju province. Data collection was conducted from August 16 to November 20, 2019, through an interview done by a trained investigator. Respondents were queried about demographic characteristics, riding bicycles, hospital treatment due to an accident or poisoning in the previous year, fall experiences in the past year, fear of falling, self-management status, and pain and discomfort. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to evaluate for associations between potential risk factors and falls. Results: The prevalence of falls in this community-dwelling older adults was 13.1%. Falls were associated with riding bicycles (odds ratio = 4.7; 95% confidence interval: 2.26-9.81), fear of falling (odds ratio = 0.3; 95% confidence interval: 0.24-0.49), hospital treatment due to an accident or poisoning in the previous year (odds ratio = 7.8; 95% confidence interval: 5.02-12.19), self-management status (odds ratio = 0.6; 95% confidence interval: 0.34-0.89), and pain and discomfort (odds ratio = 0.6; 95% confidence interval: 0.40-0.87). Conclusions: We found that the prevalence of approximately about 13% of older adults living in a community has experienced falls. Based on the results of the study, we provided primary data to develop the care management intervention program to prevent falls and avoid risk factors that cause falls in community-dwelling older adults.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
• /
• v.38 no.5
• /
• pp.676-684
• /
• 2008

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to identify the risk factors for falls and to suggest data for developing a program for preventing falls. Methods: This was a case-control study in five university hospitals and a general hospital. In total, 216 patients over the age of 18 yr admitted from January 1 to December 31, 2007 participated. One hundred eight patients with experience of falling were matched by gender, age level, diagnosis, and length of stay with 108 patents with no experience of falling admitted on the same unit. A quality assurance coordinator nurse in each hospital examined 35 fall risk factors developed by researchers. Results: In acute hospitals, history of falls, orientation ability, dizziness or vertigo, general weakness, urination problems, transfer/mobility difficulty, walking dependency, impatience, benzodiazepines, diuretics, and vasodilators showed significance on adjusted-odds ratios for fall. Logistic regression analysis was performed to elucidate the factors that influence falls. The probability of falls was increased by dizziness/vertigo, general weakness, and impatience/agitation. Conclusion: This finding can be used as a useful resource in developing nursing intervention programs to predict and prevent the falls of inpatients.

• Journal of Haehwa Medicine
• /
• v.21 no.2
• /
• pp.113-120
• /
• 2013

The object of this study was to investigate the relation between variables that is related to the general characteristics, fear of falling and falls efficacy. Data were collected from a convenience sample of 105 elders. Fear of falling and falls efficacy are measured structured questionnaires each. This study analyzed by SAS program. There was a significant difference of fear of falling according to education level(p=.003), body mass index(p=.016). There was a significant difference of falls efficacy according to gender(p<.001), education level(p=.047), body mass index(p=.019), number of chronic disease(p=.021). Fear of falling and age(r=0.23, p=.018) had significant positive correlations in the elders. Falls efficacy and number of chronic disease(r=-0.26, p=.010) had significant negative correlations in the elders. Fear of falling and falls efficacy are mutually contradictious concept. Also, both are important for the health of elderly. This result can be used for the elderly care and development of the program for the improvement of the falling efficacy.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Fundamentals of Nursing
• /
• v.13 no.1
• /
• pp.60-67
• /
• 2006

Purpose: To identify the relationship between medication use and falls among hospitalized stroke patients. Method: The medical records of 472 patients with strokes were reviewed using a questionnaire on falling developed by the authors. Frequencies, percentages, means, standard deviations, and t-test and ${\chi}^2$-test, multiple logistic regression analysis were done using the SAS program. Results: The rate for falls by the patients during their stay in the hospital was 14.0%. The length of stay was longer and the morbidity duration of stroke shorter in the fall group than in the non-fall group. The use of sedatives, laxatives, and antidepressants was a significant predictor of falls and was associated with increase likelihood of falling(1.82, 1.81, 1.75 times respectively). Conclusion: In hospitalized stroke patients, there was a significant association between the use of sedatives, laxatives, antidepressants and falls. The number and kinds of ingested drugs was also associated with falls. It is necessary to further analyze the causes of falls based on results of the present study.

• Journal of Korean Public Health Nursing
• /
• v.31 no.3
• /
• pp.436-450
• /
• 2017

Purpose: The purpose of this study is designed to identity the extent of geriatric hospital nurse's knowledge attitude and fall prevention activities toward falls, thereby identifying the relationship between them. Methods: Knowledge of the falls targeting 350 people who work in the nurse elderly hospital, located at J city, attitudes about fall prevention activity data were collected for nurses working in the geriatric hospital. The collected data were analyzed with descriptive statistics, t-test, one-way ANOVA, Scheff's test, correlation coefficients. Results: Attitude and prevention activities of fall showed that there is a correlation. Showed that age was a significant effect on falls prevention activities age 45 years and olde and attitude. The higher the fall prevention activities were found to be low. Conclusion: In relationship between knowledge, attitudes and prevention activities regarding falls, knowledge about falls had no correlation with attitude and prevention activities and a correlation was found between attitudes and prevention activity regarding falls. Accordingly, it is required to implement training program to improve nurse's attitude to falls, and repetitive fall prevention training and education is expected to contribute to increasing the practice of fall prevention activity.

• Korean Journal of Health Education and Promotion
• /
• v.25 no.2
• /
• pp.1-18
• /
• 2008

Objectives: The objective of this study is to identify the gender differences of risk factors for falls among the elderly in community dwellings. Methods: We analyzed the data on 3,278(male 1,255, female 2,023) persons, including 497 persons who have experienced falls, drawn from the 2004 National Elderly Survey. We conducted a cross-tabulation analysis, $X^2$-test and hierarchical regression analysis of the impact of the socio-economical characteristics, environmental characteristics, the number of chronic diseases, usage of supplementary devices, activities of daily living, dementia, and the severity of problem behavior. Results: For the entire sample of the elderly, gender, age, the size of the cities of residence, the number of chronic diseases, and the severity of problem behavior were identified as risk factors for falls. The number of chronic diseases and the severity of problem behavior were found to be significant for the male subsample, while age, the size of cities of residence, dwelling types, and the number of chronic diseases were found to be significant for the female subsample. Conclusion: The number of chronic diseases was identified as a common risk factor for falls in the male and female elderly. Chronic diseases were also found to aggravate the risk for falls when they concur with other diseases.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Fundamentals of Nursing
• /
• v.13 no.2
• /
• pp.200-207
• /
• 2006

Purpose: This study was done to identify factors influencing falls in inpatients. A comprehensive analysis of individual, disease, and environment related factors and an assessment of being in a risk factor group were included in the data. Method: The medical records of 325 inpatients were reviewed. Data were collected from January to July 2003. Frequencies, 1-test and $X^2-test$ were used to analyze the data and the SPSS program was used. Results: Individual-related factors for inpatients falls were age, drinking and weakness. Disease-related factors for inpatients falls were diagnostic department, admission from ER or OPD, admission by wheelchair or orther method and activity status. Environment-related factors for inpatient falls were re-education and side-rails. Assessment of the risk factor group related factors were age, history of falls, body balance, depression, communication, medication, chronic disease, urinary condition and total score for risk factors. Conclusion: Experienceing a fall among Korean inpatients was associated not only with individual factors, but also with disease and environmental factors. The findings of this study suggest that broad intervention programs should be provided to prevent inpatient falls.

• Journal of Korean Clinical Nursing Research
• /
• v.25 no.2
• /
• pp.189-197
• /
• 2019

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to identify the effects of symptom experience and depression on the falls efficacy of elderly patients who were undergoing chemotherapy. Methods: The questionnaires were administered to 105 elderly patients over 65 years hospitalizing for chemotherapy from October 25 to December 30, 2018. The data were analyzed by descriptive statistics, t-test, ANOVA, $Scheff{\acute{e}}$ test, Pearson's correlations and Multiple Linear Regression, ursing an SPSS/WIN 22.0 program. Results: Falls efficacy was negatively correlated with the symptom experience (r=-.58, p<.001), and depression (r=-.57, p<.001). Symptom experience and depression were positively correlated (r=.72, p<.001). The significantly influential factors of falls efficacy were age (${\beta}=-.34$, p<.001), symptom experience (${\beta}=-.24$, p=.022), and the history of falls (${\beta}=-.15$, p=.040), explaining 57.0% of the variance in falls efficacy. Conclusion: The main findings of this study can be used as the foundation for developing programs to increase the falls efficacy of elderly patients undergoing chemotherapy.

• Clinical Nutrition Research
• /
• v.13 no.2
• /
• pp.96-107
• /
• 2024

Malnutrition affect clinical outcomes in hospitalized old age patients, but the data on the related outcomes on the basis of different age categories are still limited. We aimed to investigate the interplay of associations among body mass index (BMI), falls risk, and mortality rate in different older adult patient age categories. This retrospective study included hospitalized patients aged ≥ 65 years who received artificial nutrition. Demographic, biochemical, and survival data were collected. BMI was evaluated using the World Health Organization BMI cutoffs for Asians, and patients were classified into high (≥ 23.0 kg/m²), normal (18.5-22.9 kg/m²), and low (< 18.5 kg/m²) BMI groups. The Morse Fall Scale was used to assess falls risk. By age categories, all patients (n = 4,642) were divided into the 65-74 (n = 2,649) and ≥ 75 (n = 1,993) years age groups. We found that the proportion of low-BMI and high risk of falls increased with age. Further, low-BMI was associated with increased falls risk in both age groups. Overall survival rate tended to be lower in the low-BMI and ≥ 75 years group than that in other patient groups, but did not differ significantly compared with the low-BMI and 65-74 years group. Low-BMI was associated with increased falls risk and mortality; however, the association depended on specific patient age groups.

• Journal of agricultural medicine and community health
• /
• v.29 no.2
• /
• pp.223-235
• /
• 2004

Objectives: This study was to evaluate the actual condition of falls among community-dwelling elderly people and its related factors to prepare for the establishment of comprehensive prevention programs of senior population. Methods: The study subjects included 460 home residents over 65 years in a district of Chungnam Province and interviews were given to all of them, asking about experiences of falls and their related factors. The analysis of study results came to the following conclusions. Results: The rate of falls among total subjects was 35.5%. With the percentage by age and sex, over 70's and female were significantly higher than male(p=0.000) and under 69 (p=0.008). The groups with poor visual acuity and hearing ability had higher rate of falls than the normal groups based on their health status. In terms of place they experienced falls, out-door occurrence accounted for 53.4% of total falls, which was higher 46.6% of in-door. By season when falls are experienced, "winter" showed the greatest rate, and by time of the day, evening had the highest rate. By causes of falls, "Slippery ground"accounted for 30.5% and "Tumbled over" 23.5% of total falls, respectively, showing the major role of environmental causes for falls. For individual factors, "Irritability" and "Carelessness" occupied 11.3%, 10.8% of total falls, respectively. The Odds Ratios for falls in women was 2.19 times higher than in men, and those in 70's are 2.01 times higher than in 60's, and those with abnormal BMI was 3.68 times higher than in normal groups, and those with perceived symptoms was 1.94 times higher than those without. Conclusions: It is suggested that more consideration should be directed toward taking comprehensive and systematic prevention measures ranging from setting-up the injury-protective environments to allowing senior citizens to have competence in ADL activity as well as proper general health conditions, considering the higher rate of falls for elderly persons in a rural part of this country than that of western countries and the greater proportion of falls which can be ascribed to environmental factors.