Table 1.
Baseline Characteristics Of People Who Fell Indoors Only, Outdoors Only, Outdoors And Indoors, And Not At All During The First Two Years Of Follow-Up *
| Characteristics | Fell Indoors Only (N=135) Mean±S.D or frequency(%) | Fell Outdoors Only (N=129) Mean±S.D. or frequency(%) | P Value For Indoor Only versus Outdoor Only † | Fell Indoor And Outdoors (N=113) Mean±S.D. or frequency(%) | Did Not Fall (N=318) Mean±S.D. or frequency(%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Demographic | |||||
| age (years) | 79.9±5.5 | 77.7±4.9 | 0.002 | 77.9±6.1 | 77.5±5.2 |
| male gender | 31 (23.0) | 59 (45.7) | <0.001 | 41 (36.3) | 114 (35.8) |
| Education | 0.03 | ||||
| high school graduate or less | 47 (34.8) | 33 (25.6) | 31 (27.4) | 129 (40.7) | |
| some college or college graduate | 54 (40.0) | 44 (34.1) | 34 (30.1) | 113 (35.6) | |
| graduate studies | 34 (25.2) | 52 (40.3) | 48 (42.5) | 75 (23.7) | |
| White race / ethnicity | 106 (78.5) | 111 (86.7) | 0.08 | 95 (84.1) | 226 (71.1) |
| Lifestyle | |||||
| body mass index (kg/m2) | |||||
| <25 | 33 (25.2) | 38 (30.2) | 0.001 | 46 (40.7) | 95 (30.4) |
| 25–29.9 | 46 (35.1) | 65 (51.6) | 45 (39.8) | 127 (40.7) | |
| 30+ | 52 (39.7) | 23 (18.2) | 22 (19.5) | 90 (28.9) | |
| Physical activity (bottom quartile, PASE<55) | 37 (28.0) | 22 (17.0) | 0.03 | 31 (27.9) | 71 (22.3) |
| 3 or more flights stairs in home | 12 (8.9) | 19 (14.7) | 0.14 | 21 (18.6) | 26 (8.2) |
| Use of alcohol | 0.10 | ||||
| not at all | 60 (44.4) | 40 (31.0) | 43 (38.1) | 133 (41.8) | |
| 1–3 drinks/month | 28 (20.7) | 26 (20.2) | 24 (21.2) | 73 (23.0) | |
| 1–6 drinks/week | 33 (24.4) | 44 (34.1) | 30 (26.6) | 73 (23.0) | |
| every day use | 14 (10.4) | 19 (14.7) | 16 (14.2) | 39 (12.3) | |
| Physical Disability | |||||
| balance (Berg score) | <0.001 | ||||
| 51+ | 48 (35.6) | 83 (64.3) | 56 (49.6) | 190 (59.8) | |
| 48–51 | 34 (25.2) | 29 (22.5) | 34 (30.1) | 71 (22.3) | |
| <48 | 53 (39.3) | 17 (13.2) | 23 (20.3) | 57 (17.9) | |
| unable to do chair-stand test unless using arms | 22 (16.3) | 6 (4.6) | 0.002 | 5 (4.4) | 17 (5.3) |
| gait speed | 0.005 | ||||
| >1.33 m/sec | 7 (5.2) | 11 (8.5) | 12 (10.6) | 17 (5.3) | |
| 0.68–1.33m/sec | 97 (71.8) | 107 (83.0) | 89 (78.8) | 267 (84.0) | |
| <0.68 m/sec | 31 (23.0) | 11 (8.5) | 12 (10.6) | 34 (10.7) | |
| activities of daily living: | <0.001 | ||||
| no difficulty | 83 (61.5) | 109 (84.5) | 83 (73.5) | 267 (84.0) | |
| little / some difficulty | 26 (19.3) | 17 (13.2) | 25 (22.1) | 36 (11.3) | |
| much difficulty / inability | 26 (19.3) | 3 (2.3) | 5 (4.4) | 15 (4.7) | |
| short physical performance battery < 10 | 80 (59.3) | 38 (29.5) | <0.001 | 45 (39.8) | 116 (36.5) |
| reduced activity due to illness | 47 (34.8) | 39 (30.2) | 0.43 | 45 (39.8) | 60 (18.9) |
| poor vision (worse than 40/100) | 11 (8.2) | 8 (6.2) | 0.54 | 7 (6.2) | 31 (9.7) |
| Illness-Related | |||||
| moderate /severe bodily pain | 78 (57.8) | 38 (29.7) | <0.001 | 46 (40.7) | 106 (33.4) |
| number of comorbid conditions | 3.2±1.4 | 2.7±1.5 | 0.002 | 3.0±1.4 | 2.8±1.4 |
| fair /poor self-rated health | 28 (20.7) | 14 (10.8) | 0.03 | 16 (14.2) | 36 (11.3) |
| peripheral neuropathy | 19 (14.3) | 16 (12.4) | 0.65 | 16 (14.3) | 24 (7.6) |
| foot pain | 47 (34.8) | 30 (23.3) | 0.04 | 31 (27.4) | 51 (16.0) |
| knee osteoarthritis | 40 (29.6) | 31 (24.0) | 0.31 | 32 (28.3) | 73 (23.0) |
| depression | 17 (12.6) | 10 (7.8) | 0.19 | 14 (12.4) | 8 (2.5) |
| Medication Use | |||||
| number of medications | 0.10 | ||||
| 0–4 | 37 (27.4) | 45 (34.9) | 44 (38.9) | 112 (35.2) | |
| 5–8 | 57 (42.2) | 59 (45.7) | 49 (43.4) | 158 (49.7) | |
| 9+ | 41 (30.4) | 25 (19.4) | 20 (17.7) | 48 (15.1) | |
| uses psychotropic medication ‡ | 39 (28.9) | 26 (20.2) | 0.10 | 27 (24.1) | 49 (15.6) |
| Cognition | |||||
| impaired cognition (MMSE 18–24) | 19 (14.1) | 10 (7.8) | 0.10 | 10 (8.8) | 41 (12.9) |
| Fall-Related | |||||
| number of falls in year before baseline | 1.1±1.7 | 0.9±2.4 | 0.08 | 1.7±5.0 | 0.3±0.8 |
| falls efficacy score <90 | 34 (25.2) | 14 (10.9) | 0.003 | 15 (13.4) | 30 (9.5) |
| Mean Follow-up time (months) | 20.3±4.2 | 21.1±4.0 | 0.10 | 21.5±3.6 | 20.0±4.3 |
*
Participants with at least one year of follow-up are included. All variables had a sample size of 95–100% of full N shown.
†
Wilcoxon rank-sum test was used for age, number of comorbid conditions, falls before baseline and follow-up time; chi-square was used for all other variables.
‡
Includes antidepressants, benzodiazepines, antipsychotics, and other sedatives.
Abbreviations: SD = Standard deviation; PASE = Physical Activity Scale for the Elderly; MMSE = Mini-Mental State Exam.