105 Physical Activity Level and its Association with Risk of Fall and Fear of Fall among the Elderly

Abstract

Abstract Introduction Falls are major public health concern and the leading cause of non-fatal injuries among community-dwelling older adults. Though exercise has been identified as a single intervention, and potentially most cost-effective for fall prevention, the role of physical activity is less clear. This study was aimed at finding the association between physical activity, risk of fall and fear of fall in the elderly. Methods Three hundred and ten apparently healthy community dwelling elderly (202 females and 118 males) aged 60 years and above participated in this study. Physical activity was assessed with the Physical Activity Scale for the Elderly, Fear of fall with Fall Efficacy Scale while Risk of fall was determined with Morse fall scale. Chi-square test was used to find the association between physical activity and risk of fall. Results Most participants 241(77.7%) had normal physical activity and only 3.5% had high physical activity. There was a significant association among physical activity and risk of fall in the elderly. Fifteen (4.8%) participants had a high risk of fall. All participants had no fear of falling. Discussion This study showed physical activity level increased with age until a certain age during which it starts to spiral down. A significant association was found in between age groups and level of Physical Activity. Most of the participants in this study had normal physical activity in line with previous opinion that participants over 60 years spend more time engaging in more overall physical activity. Elderly females were found to be more active than men. Conclusion There is a significant association between among physical activity and risk of fall in the elderly. Hence, the more physically active elderly are, the less their likelihood to a fall.