Table 1.
Characteristics of women who had had no fall or at least one fall in the previous 12 months. Values are percentage of women (95% confidence interval), adjusted for age, except where otherwise indicated
| No falls (n=3364) | At least one fall (n=686) | P value | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mean age (years) | 68.6 (68.4 to 68.9) | 70.1 (69.7 to 70.5) | <0.001 |
| Chronic diseases | |||
| Coronary heart disease | 14.0 (12.9 to 15.2) | 23.3 (20.3 to 26.6) | <0.001 |
| Any circulatory disease | 16.8 (15.5 to 18.1) | 26.7 (23.5 to 30.1) | <0.001 |
| Diabetes | 4.9 (4.3 to 5.7) | 6.9 (5.2 to 9.0) | 0.04 |
| Thyroid disease | 11.4 (10.3 to 12.5) | 14.2 (11.8 to 17.3) | 0.04 |
| Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease | 22.6 (21.2 to 24.0) | 30.8 (27.4 to 34.3) | <0.001 |
| Depression | 15.8 (14.5 to 17.1) | 27.0 (23.6 to 30.6) | <0.001 |
| Eye disease | 13.9 (12.8 to 15.1) | 19.9 (17.0 to 23.0) | <0.001 |
| Arthritis | 41.7 (40.0 to 43.3) | 58.2 (54.5 to 61.9) | <0.001 |
| Postural hypotension* | 17.1 (15.8 to 18.5) | 17.6 (14.8 to 20.9) | 0.75 |
| Low standing blood pressure† | 7.6 (6.7 to 8.6) | 7.3 (5.5 to 9.7) | 0.81 |
| Drugs taken | |||
| Hypnotics and anxiolytics | 4.3 (3.7 to 5.1) | 8.6 (6.7 to 10.9) | <0.001 |
| Antidepressants | 9.0 (8.1 to 10.0) | 17.1 (14.4 to 20.1) | <0.001 |
| Any central nervous system drug | 23.5 (22.1 to 25.0) | 36.9 (33.3 to 40.6) | <0.001 |
| Any analgesic | 12.6 (11.6 to 13.8) | 18.1 (15.4 to 21.1) | <0.001 |
| Any cardiovascular disease drug | 40.9 (39.3 to 42.6) | 50.4 (46.7 to 54.2) | <0.001 |
| Any endocrine system drug | 19.9 (18.5 to 21.2) | 21.4 (18.5 to 24.7) | 0.25 |
| Any respiratory system drug | 10.2 (9.2 to 11.2) | 13.1 (10.8 to 15.9) | 0.03 |
| Socioeconomic position | |||
| Manual social class (III manual, IV, or V) | 52.0 (50.2 to 53.7) | 55.3 (51.4 to 59.1) | 0.12 |
| From deprived area | 19.3 (18.0 to 20.6) | 20.1 (17.3 to 23.3) | 0.61 |
| Physiological and behavioural characteristics | |||
| Consume alcohol daily | 17.5 (16.1 to 18.8) | 17.5 (14.8 to 20.5) | 0.80 |
| Heavy drinking (≥ 14 units alcohol a week) | 5.5 (4.8 to 6.3) | 6.0 (4.4 to 8.0) | 0.39 |
| Mean body mass index (kg/m2) | 27.4 (27.2 to 27.6) | 28.4 (28.0 to 28.8) | <0.001 |
| Mean HDL cholesterol concentration (mmol/l) | 1.66 (1.65 to 1.68) | 1.64 (1.60 to 1.67) | 0.22 |
| Triglyceride concentration (geometric mean) (mmol/l) | 1.66 (1.63 to 1.68) | 1.68 (1.62 to 1.74) | 0.41 |
| Hypertension‡ | 50.6 (48.7 to 52.4) | 51.6 (47.5 to 55.6) | 0.39 |
| Mean forced expiratory volume in 1 second (l) | 1.99 (1.97 to 2.00) | 1.94 (1.90 to 1.99) | 0.02 |
| Mean haemoglobin concentration (g/l) | 135.4 (135.0 to 135.8) | 133.9 (133.1 to 134.8) | 0.002 |
| Hip or wrist fracture in previous 12 months | 0.2 (0.1 to 0.4) | 6.8 (5.1 to 8.9) | <0.001 |
*
Reduction in blood pressure between standing and sitting of ≥20 mm Hg systolic pressure or ≥10 mm Hg diastolic pressure.
†
Systolic blood pressure ≤100 mm Hg or diastolic blood pressure ≤60 mm Hg.
‡
Blood pressure >160/95 mm Hg or patient taking treatment for blood pressure.