Table 1.
Patient characteristics for total- and subgroups
| Variable | Total (n = 106) |
FU (n = 62) |
FTU (n = 44) |
p-value | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gender (W/M) | 60/46 | 37/25 | 23/21 | 0.4483 | |||
| Age (years) | 81.7 ± 6.2 | (68.5 – 95.4) | 81.8 ± 6.4 | (68.5 – 95.1) | 81.5 ± 5.9 | (72.2 – 95.4) | 0.815 |
| Height (cm) | 164.0 ± 9.8 | (144 – 184) | 162.3 ± 10.0 | (144 – 182) | 166.4 ± 9.2 | (150 – 184) | 0.035 |
| Weight (kg) | 71.4 ± 14.4 | (43 – 110) | 70.5 ± 14.4 | (43 – 110) | 72.5 ± 14.5 | (50 – 108) | 0.489 |
| BMI (kg/m 2 ) | 26.5 ± 4.5 | (17 – 38) | 26.8 ± 4.8 | (17 – 38) | 26.1 ± 4.1 | (20 – 38) | 0.442 |
| Leg length (cm) | 88.9 ± 5.7 | (73.3 – 100.5) | 88.5 ± 5.8 | (73.3 – 100.5) | 89.5 ± 5.6 | (78.5 – 98.5) | 0.375 |
| Clinical characteristics | |||||||
| MMSE | 27.4 ± 1.8 | (24 – 30) | 27.3 ± 1.8 | (24 – 30) | 27.6 ± 1.7 | (24 – 30) | 0.347 |
| GDS | 3.3 ± 2.6 | (0 – 12) | 3.7 ± 2.8 | (0 – 12) | 2.8 ± 2.2 | (0 – 9) | 0.081 |
| FES-I score | 31.8 ± 10.7 | (16 – 61) | 33.6 ± 10.9 | (16 – 61) | 29.1 ± 9.9 | (16 – 56) | 0.036 |
| No of medication1 | 8.9 ± 3.0 | (2 – 18) | 9.4 ± 3.1 | (2 – 17) | 8.3 ± 2.9 | (2 – 18) | 0.3153 |
| No of diagnosis2 | 11.3 ± 4.0 | (2 – 19) | 12.1 ± 3.7 | (3 – 19) | 10.2 ± 4.0 | (2 – 19) | 0.1043 |
| Fall history | |||||||
| Non fallers | 52 | 49.1% | 28 | 45.2% | 24 | 54.5% | 0.2463 |
| Fallers | 34 | 32.1% | 19 | 30.6% | 15 | 34.1% | |
| Recurrent fallers | 20 | 18.9% | 15 | 24.2% | 5 | 11.4% | |
| Functional characteristics | |||||||
| POMA | 21.1 ± 3.8 | (12 – 28) | 20.2 ± 3.5 | (12 – 27) | 22.1 ± 3.9 | (12 – 28) | 0.009 |
| TUG | 20.1 ± 8.1 | (9 – 48) | 22.5 ± 8.4 | (11 – 48) | 16.6 ± 6.5 | (9 – 40) | <0.001 |
| BARTHEL | 53.9 ± 10.8 | (30 – 80) | 52.5 ± 9.8 | (30 – 80) | 55.9 ± 11.8 | (30 – 80) | 0.108 |
Values are mean ± standard deviation and (range); Fall history = Total number and percentage. FU = frequent wheeled walker user, FTU = first time wheeled walker user, BMI = Body-Mass-Index, MMSE = Mini Mental State Examination (range 0 – 30), GDS = Geriatric Depression Scale (range 0 – 15); FES-I = Falls Efficacy Scale International (range 16 – 64); Fall history (past 12 months): Non fallers = 0 falls; fallers = 1–2 falls; recurrent fallers = ≥ 3 falls; POMA = Performance Oriented Mobility Assessment (range 0 – 28), TUG = Timed up & Go, BARTHEL = Hamburg Classification Manual for the Barthel Index in geriatrics (range 0 – 100). 1Number of medications and 2diagnosis treated during duration of stay. P-value for unpaired t-test (FTU; FU); or 3Pearsons’s chi-square test for independence