The association of fear of falling and physical and mental Health-Related Quality of Life (HRQoL) among community-dwelling older persons : a cross-sectional study of Urban Health Centres Europe (UHCE)

Sophie (S A.). Korenhof, Amy (A ). van Grieken, Carmen (C B.). Franse, Siok Swan (S S.). Tan, Arpana (A ). Verma, Tamara (T ). Alhambra, Hein (H ). Raat*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleAcademicpeer-review

5 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Background:
The share of people over 80 years in the European Union is estimated to increase two-and-a-half-fold from 2000 to 2100. A substantial share of older persons experiences fear of falling. This fear is partly associated with a fall in the recent past. Because of the associations between fear of falling, avoiding physical activity, and the potential impact of those on health, an association between fear of falling and low health-related quality of life, is suggested. This study examined the association of fear of falling with physical and mental Health-Related Quality of Life (HRQoL) among community-dwelling older persons in five European countries.

Methods:
A cross-sectional study was conducted using baseline data of community-dwelling persons of 70 years and older participating in the Urban Health Centers Europe project in five European countries: United Kingdom, Greece, Croatia, the Netherlands and Spain. This study assessed fear of falling with the Short Falls Efficacy Scale-International and HRQoL with the 12-Item Short-Form Health Survey. The association between low, moderate or high fear of falling and HRQoL was examined using adjusted multivariable linear regression models.

Results:
Data of 2189 persons were analyzed (mean age 79.6 years; 60.6% females). Among the participants, 1096 (50.1%) experienced low fear of falling; 648 (29.6%) moderate fear of falling and 445 (20.3%) high fear of falling. Compared to those who reported low fear of falling in multivariate analysis, participants who reported moderate or high fear of falling experienced lower physical HRQoL (β = -6.10, P < 0.001 and β = -13.15, P < 0.001, respectively). In addition, participants who reported moderate or high fear of falling also experienced lower mental HRQoL than those who reported low fear of falling (β = -2.31, P < 0.001 and β = -8.80, P < 0.001, respectively).

Conclusions:
This study observed a negative association between fear of falling and physical and mental HRQoL in a population of older European persons. These findings emphasize the relevance for health professionals to assess and address fear of falling. In addition, attention should be given to programs that promote physical activity, reduce fear of falling, and maintain or increase physical strength among older adults; this may contribute to physical and mental HRQoL.

Original languageEnglish
Article number291
Number of pages9
JournalBMC Geriatrics
Volume23
Issue number1
Early online date13 May 2023
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2023

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
The UHCE project was supported by the European Union, CHAFEA, third health programme, grant number 20131201. The funding body played no role in the design of the study, the collection, analysis, and interpretation of data, or in writing the manuscript.

We would like to thank Daan Nieboer, MSc, Department of Public Health, Erasmus University Medical Center Rotterdam, for his advice on the statistical analyses.

Publisher Copyright:
© 2023, The Author(s).

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'The association of fear of falling and physical and mental Health-Related Quality of Life (HRQoL) among community-dwelling older persons : a cross-sectional study of Urban Health Centres Europe (UHCE)'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this