Abstract
BackgroundFalls and violence against older people might represent a joint public health problem, as both may result in injury, fear, social isolation, sedentary behavior and dependence or even death. The ESACA project “Aging safely in Alentejo - Understanding for action” was designed to promote the healthy aging of older people in Alentejo by preventing the occurrence of falls and violence. This study aimed to report the ESACA protocol and the preliminary outcomes.MethodsThe ESACA study has a twofold design as a cross-sectional study that included retrospective and prospective surveys. The participants were 508 community-dwelling older people. Assessments included falls, the risk of violence against older people, sociodemographic characteristics, health-related measurements, fear of falling, anthropometric measures and body composition, functional physical fitness, physical activity, and environmental hazards.ResultsAmong the participants, 43% were fallers, 21% were recurrent fallers, and 22% were victims of one or more kinds of violence (psychological: 17.1%, physical: 5.6%, and patrimonial: 3.0%). Moreover, the cumulative results suggested high risk on several risk factors for falling (7 factors: 0.6% to 2 factors: 17.4%) and of violence (26.7%).ConclusionsIn the ESACA project, a wide range of potential influencing factors on falls and violence risk factors were measured, and comprehensive quality control measures were applied. Overall, the results suggest that for falls and violence prevention strategies to be effective, it is essential to evaluate, diagnose, and inform all stakeholders in a directed and useful way. Moreover, we believe that our project outcomes may help change mindsets and behaviors by involving people in active aging and well-being programs that promote exercise and avoid isolation.
Highlights
Falls and violence against older people might represent a joint public health problem, as both may result in injury, fear, social isolation, sedentary behavior and dependence or even death
Response rates Of the 932 older people formally invited to participate in the study (Fig. 1), 517 were eligible and consented to participate in the study, of whom 5 did not meet the inclusion criteria and 4 dropped out
508 community-dwelling older adults participated in the study
Summary
Falls and violence against older people might represent a joint public health problem, as both may result in injury, fear, social isolation, sedentary behavior and dependence or even death. In addition to fall-related injuries, falls can result in decreased physical function and selfconfidence in older people, often increasing the fear of falling, social isolation, sedentary behavior and dependence [3,4,5,6,7,8]. As a result, these restrictions may increase the risk of further falls by contributing to a deterioration in physical, cognitive, psychological and social abilities. A consequence of falling, depending on its severity, is that direct and indirect costs of health care can increase, compromising the national health systems [9] and the informal caregivers who are faced with the need to support the people in their care, affecting the maintenance of their professional activities [10]
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