A Prospective Community-Based Study of Falls among Older People in Australia: Frequency, Circumstances, and Consequences

2002 ◽  
Vol 22 (4) ◽  
pp. 143-152 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lynette Mackenzie ◽  
Julie Byles ◽  
Nick Higginbotham

Falls among the population of older people are a major international public health concern. Few prospective studies have been conducted in Australia with a healthy, rural and urban community sample that measure a broad range of health-related potential risk factors for falls. This study aims to identify the nature and circumstances of falls experienced by people aged 70 years and older, and explores any health and environmental variables associated with falls over a 6-month period. A total of 264 participants kept calendars and recorded information about falls. Health status measures were taken prior to the study period. Falls occurred mainly during mobility and housework activities causing a wide range of minor but notable injuries, and were associated with psychosocial factors as well as medical risk factors. The need for occupational therapists to develop specific programs for healthy older people living in the community is identified, as well as the need for cross-national falls research.

2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Li Zhang ◽  
Zhihong Ding ◽  
Liya Qiu ◽  
An Li

Abstract Background Falls among older people have become a public health concern due to serious health consequences. Despite abundant literature on falls in older people, little is known about the rural-urban differentials in falls among older people in China. This research fills the voids of prior literature by investigating falls and the associated risk factors among Chinese seniors, with a particular focus on the rural-urban differences. Methods Data are from the 2010 wave of Chinese Longitudinal Survey on Urban and Rural Elderly. The analysis includes 16,393 respondents aged 65 and over, with 8440 and 7953 of them living in urban and rural areas, respectively. Descriptive analyses are performed to examine incidence, locations, circumstances and consequences of falls in older people. Regression analysis is used to investigate the effects of risk factors on falls among older people in urban and rural China. Results The incidence of falls is higher among rural than urban older people. In both settings, older people are more likely to fell outside of home. But common outdoor falls among rural and urban older people differ in terms of locations and circumstances. Urban older people are more likely to report falling on the road whereas their rural counterparts have experienced more falls in the yard. Falls occurring within homes or immediate home surroundings are also common; but few falls occurred in public areas. The rate of hospitalization of urban seniors after falling is higher than that of rural ones. Most risk factors of falls show similar than different effects on rural and urban elders’ risks of falling. Conclusions Incidence, locations, circumstances and consequences of falls vary among Chinese rural and urban older people. But most risk factors for falls show similar effects on rural and urban elders’ odds of falling. Implications drawn from this research provide suggestions for the government and local agencies to develop suitable fall prevention strategies which may well be applicable to other countries.


2005 ◽  
Vol 29 (2) ◽  
pp. 157-164 ◽  
Author(s):  
R.G. Chadwick ◽  
H.L. Mitchell ◽  
S.L. Manton ◽  
S. Ward ◽  
S. Ogston ◽  
...  

The objectives of the study were to examine a relationship between tooth erosion affecting the palatal aspects of permanent maxillary central incisors with dietary, behavioral and medical variables. The methods included, 251 schoolchildren aged 11 to 13 years were recruited to participate. Each subject had dental impressions of the palatal aspects of both upper central incisors recorded at baseline, 9 and 18 months intervals. From these, electroconductive replicas were fabricated, mapped and compared using a surface matching technique. At the end of the study all participants underwent a structured interview that sought to assay the level of potential erosive dietary, behavioral and medical risk factors. Correlation analyses of the responses given in the final structured interview with the degrees of palatal tooth substance loss (both previous and measured) were under taken. The results showed: 1. The degree of previous erosion did not predict the level of measured ongoing erosion. 2. Brushing the teeth more frequently with fluoridated toothpaste correlated significantly with lower levels of ongoing erosion (P = 0.011). It was concluded that: 1. Evidence of previous palatal erosion did not predict future erosion. 2. The application of topical fluoride as a by-product of tooth brushing may provide an element of protection against palatal erosion. 3. In view of the lack of correlation between exposure to potential risk factors and the level of ongoing palatal tooth surface loss in this study, other factors (such as an individual’s susceptibility and salivary buffering power) may well be more important predictors. The clinical relevance included: Preventive advice to patients with dental erosion should not only include the use of topical fluoride, in the form of toothpaste, but recognize individual susceptibility to this condition. J Clin Pediatr Dent 29(2): 157-164, 2004


2021 ◽  
pp. 172-191
Author(s):  
Naomi Noguchi ◽  
Vasi Naganathan

2010 ◽  
pp. 101-132
Author(s):  
Stephen R. Lord ◽  
Catherine Sherrington ◽  
Hylton B. Menz ◽  
Jacqueline C. T. Close

2003 ◽  
Vol 34 (2) ◽  
pp. 54-69 ◽  
Author(s):  
Frank H. Duffy ◽  
Heidelise Als ◽  
Gloria B. McAnulty

EEG spectral coherence data in quiet sleep of 312 infants were evaluated, at 42 weeks post-menstrual age. All were medically healthy and living at home by time of evaluation. The sample consisted of prematurely born infants with a wide spectrum of underlying risk factors, as well as healthy fullterm infants. Initial 3040 coherence variables were reduced by principal components analysis in an unrestricted manner, which avoided the folding of spectral and spatial information into among-subject variance. One hundred fifty factors explained 90% of the total variance; 40 Varimax rotated factors explained 65% of the variance yielding a 50:1 data reduction. Factor loading patterns ranged from multiple spectral bands for a single electrode pair to multiple electrode pairs for a single spectral band and all intermediate possibilities. Simple left-right and anterior-posterior pairings were not observed within the factor loadings. By multiple regression analysis, the 40 factors significantly predicted gestational age at birth. By canonical correlation, significant relationships were demonstrated between the coherence factors and medical risk factors as well as neurobehavioral factors. Using discriminant analysis, the coherence factors successfully discriminated between infants with high and low medical risk status and between those with the best and worst neurobehavioral status. The two factors accounting for the most variance, and chosen across several analyses, indicated increased left central-temporal coherence from 6–24 Hz, and increased frontal-occipital coherence at 10 Hz, for the infants born closest to term with lowest medical risk factors and best neurobehavioral performance.


2018 ◽  
pp. 36-39
Author(s):  
S.I. Zhuk ◽  
◽  
O.D. Shchurevska ◽  

One of the main markers of socially unfavorable pregnancy is anthropometric indicators of newborns. They reflect not only the narrow medical problems of complicated gestation but also social problems in general, the quality and access to the medical care. The objective: to determine the risk factors for fetal macrosomia in pregnancy with high levels of psychosocial stress. Materials and methods. The course of pregnancy and childbirth, demographic and medical risk factors for a fetal macrosomia were analyzed in 140 pregnant women with different levels of psychosocial stress. They were divided into 2 groups: 1 group (main) – 56 women-forced migrants from Luhansk and Donetsk regions, 2 group – 84 women with low and moderate level stress according to the questionnaires and psychological tests (L. Reeder, Spielberg–Khanin scale). Results. Gestational diabetes was the main reason for the birth of heavy children in both groups. Women–forced migrants had late manifestation of impaired tolerance to carbohydrates and a higher frequency of pathological weight gain. Male neonates are at risk for macrosomia. Childbirth in women with macrosomia is accompanied by a high frequency of complications and abnormal births. Conclusions. The frequency of births of macrosomic children in women - forced migrants is higher than in women at low risk of psychosocial stress. Risk factors in this group of pregnants include: the level of stress and behavioral responses to stress, impaired carbohydrate tolerance due to gestational diabetes, abnormal weight gain due to malnutrition and male sex of the fetus. Keywords: macrosomia, pregnancy, childbirth, women–forced migrants psychosocial stress, gestational diabetes, weight gain.


2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (5) ◽  
pp. 263-269
Author(s):  
V. O. Shuper ◽  
◽  
S. V. Shuper ◽  
I. V. Trefanenko ◽  
G. I. Shumko ◽  
...  

The purpose of the study was to investigate the adherence to secondary prevention medications among patients with coronary heart disease and identify factors associated with it. Materials and methods. We examined 40 patients diagnosed with coronary heart disease of more than 50 years old, who were prescribed with optimal medication for 1 year during hospitalization. Patients` adherence was defined according to MMS-8 Morisky values for secondary prevention medications prescribed by doctors. Also, questionnaires about individual reasons of non-compliance and for individual patient`s opinion about importance and usefulness of knowledge according to risk factors of the increase of cardiovascular mortality were designed and proposed to the patients. Simple descriptive statistics were used to elucidate the characteristics of the patient population and results from individual adherence tools. Final score was analyzed and correlation between patients’ data and level of adherence to prescribed treatment were identified. A correlation matrix (using Spearman’s coefficient) was reviewed for any evidence of collinearity. Results and discussion. Our study demonstrated higher level of non-adherence with secondary prevention medications in patients with coronary heart disease (60.0%). This fact can be explained by the socioeconomic reasons, less informative strategies from the medical staff to the patients. Severe regress of adherence was demonstrated after discharge from the hospital due to subjective improvement of the patients` condition with absence of supervision by out-patient specialists. Demographic characteristics of the patients suggested that some non-modified factors can affect compliance with the prescribed treatment. Better adherence was demonstrated by female married patients with higher educational level, with family history about cardiovascular death. Also, too much prescribed medications with difficult regime of usage with non-adequate out-patient supervision may significantly decrease adherence causing development of complications which may lead to re-hospitalizations and cardiovascular death. Our investigation demonstrated also non-complete information of the patients about lifestyle and medical risk factors of the cardiovascular mortality increase. Conclusion. The results of our study can provide useful practical information on the prevalence and severity of non-adherence among patients with coronary heart disease. Analysis of the factors influencing the adherence demonstrated the main reasons from patients and healthcare professionals affecting the level of compliance with the prescribed treatment. The step towards improving adherence can be initiated by the healthcare professional to overcome the patient's concerns about the prescribed medication. It is important to continue personal monitoring of patients by healthcare professionals in the form of regular inspections of intentional and unintentional non-adherence, including factors and reasons that may change and lead to such behavior


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