Associations between health-related quality of life, physical function and fear of falling in older fallers receiving home care

Maria Bjerk, Therese Brovold, Dawn A Skelton, Astrid Bergland, Maria Bjerk, Therese Brovold, Dawn A Skelton, Astrid Bergland

Abstract

Background: Falls and injuries in older adults have significant consequences and costs, both personal and to society. Although having a high incidence of falls, high prevalence of fear of falling and a lower quality of life, older adults receiving home care are underrepresented in research on older fallers. The objective of this study is to determine the associations between health-related quality of life (HRQOL), fear of falling and physical function in older fallers receiving home care.

Methods: This study employed cross-sectional data from baseline measurements of a randomised controlled trial. 155 participants, aged 67+, with at least one fall in the previous year, from six Norwegian municipalities were included. Data on HRQOL (SF-36), physical function and fear of falling (FES-I) were collected in addition to demographical and other relevant background information. A multivariate regression model was applied.

Results: A higher score on FES-I, denoting increased fear of falling, was significantly associated with a lower score on almost all subscales of SF-36, denoting reduced HRQOL. Higher age was significantly associated with higher scores on physical function, general health, mental health and the mental component summary. This analysis adjusted for sex, education, living alone, being at risk of or malnourished, physical function like balance and walking speed, cognition and number of falls.

Conclusion: Fear of falling is important for HRQOL in older fallers receiving home care. This association is independent of physical measures. Better physical function is significantly associated with higher physical HRQOL. Future research should address interventions that reduce fear of falling and increase HRQOL in this vulnerable population.

Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov. NCT02374307 . First registration, 16 February 2015. First enrolment of participants, February 2016.

Keywords: Falls; Falls-efficacy; Fear of falling; Health-related quality of life; Home care.

Conflict of interest statement

Ethics approval and consent to participate

The project proposal has been approved by The Regional Committee for Medical Research Ethics in South East Norway (Ref. 2014/2051). Informed consent was obtained from all participants included in the analyses, and the project is conducted according to the WMA Declaration of Helsinki.

Consent for publication

Not applicable.

Competing interests

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

Publisher’s Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Flow of participants

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