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Choi and Lee: Fall Risk in Low-Income Elderly People in One Urban Area
Original Article
Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing

Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing 2010; 40(4): 589-598.

Published online: 31 August 2010

DOI: https://doi.org/10.4040/jkan.2010.40.4.589

Fall Risk in Low-Income Elderly People in One Urban Area

Kyung Won Choi1, In-Sook Lee2

1Part-time Instructor, Department of Nursing, Daejeon University, Daejeon, Korea.

2Professor, College of Nursing Science, Seoul National University, Seoul, Korea.

Address reprint requests to: Lee, In-Sook. College of Nursing Science, Seoul National University, 28 Yeongeon-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul 110-799, Korea. Tel: 82-2-740-8828, Fax: 82-2-766-1852, lisook@snu.ac.kr

Received 9 March 2010       Accepted 17 August 2010

Copyright © 2010 Korean Society of Nursing Science

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this study was to investigate the factors that increase of the risk for falls in low-income elders in urban areas.

Methods

The participants were elderly people registered in one of public health centers in one city. Data were collected by interviewing the elders, assessing their environmental risk factors, and surveying relevant secondary data from the public health center records. For data analysis, descriptive statistics and multiple logistic regression were performed using SPSS version 14.

Results

Stroke, diabetes, visual deficits, frequency of dizziness, use of assistive devices and moderate depression were statistically significant risk factors. The comorbidity of chronic diseases with other factors including depression, visual deficit, dizziness, and use of assistive devices significantly increased the risk of falls. From multiple logistic regression analysis, statistically significant predictors of falls were found to be stroke, total environmental risk scores, comorbiditiy of diabetes with visual deficits, and with depression.

Conclusion

Fall prevention interventions should be multifactorial, especially for the elders with stroke or diabetes, who were identified in this study as the high risk group for falls. A fall risk assessment tool for low-income elders should include both the intrinsic factors like depression, dizziness, and use of assistive devices, and the extrinsic factors.

Keywords: Vulnerable populations, Aged, Accidental falls

Figures and Tables

Table 1
General Characteristics of Participants according to Falls or No Falls
jkan-40-589-i001

*Fisher's exact test.

Table 2
Characteristics of Falls
jkan-40-589-i002

*Multiple response.

Table 3
Odds ratio for Risk Factors for Falls
jkan-40-589-i003

Adjusted for Falls in the previous year.

Table 4
Logistic Regression Analysis of Risk Factors related to Falls
jkan-40-589-i004

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