Table 1. Descriptive characteristics of study population.
German national health interview and examination survey 2008–2011 (DEGS1).
| Total (N = 1833) | People with falls (n = 370) | People without falls (n = 1463) | p | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| %* | 95% CI* | n | %* | 95% CI* | n | %* | 95% CI* | n | ||||||
| Sex | Men | 46.0 | 43.5 | 48.4 | 911 | 34.2 | 28.6 | 40.3 | 142 | 49.0 | 46.1 | 52.0 | 769 | .000 |
| Women | 54.0 | 51.6 | 56.5 | 922 | 65.8 | 59.7 | 71.4 | 228 | 51.0 | 48.0 | 53.9 | 694 | ||
| Age group | 65–69 | 34.8 | 32.3 | 37.5 | 736 | 31.4 | 25.9 | 37.4 | 139 | 35.7 | 32.9 | 38.7 | 597 | .212 |
| 70–74 | 42.8 | 39.9 | 45.9 | 744 | 42.4 | 35.8 | 49.2 | 146 | 43.0 | 39.7 | 46.3 | 598 | ||
| 75–79 | 22.3 | 19.8 | 25.1 | 353 | 26.2 | 21.0 | 32.3 | 85 | 21.3 | 18.6 | 24.3 | 268 | ||
| Living alone | Yes | 23.0 | 20.4 | 25.9 | 395 | 32.0 | 25.5 | 39.3 | 98 | 20.7 | 18.1 | 23.5 | 297 | .001 |
| No | 77.0 | 74.1 | 79.6 | 1434 | 68.0 | 60.7 | 74.5 | 271 | 79.3 | 76.5 | 81.9 | 1163 | ||
| Community size | Rural towns | 15.6 | 10.4 | 22.6 | 301 | 14.3 | 8.7 | 22.6 | 55 | 15.9 | 10.7 | 23.0 | 246 | .404 |
| Small cities | 26.4 | 19.6 | 34.5 | 430 | 24.4 | 17.1 | 33.6 | 73 | 26.9 | 19.9 | 35.3 | 357 | ||
| Middle cities | 27.8 | 21.2 | 35.5 | 546 | 27.0 | 19.6 | 36.0 | 113 | 28.0 | 21.2 | 36.0 | 433 | ||
| Large cities | 30.3 | 23.3 | 38.3 | 556 | 34.3 | 25.9 | 43.7 | 129 | 29.2 | 22.2 | 37.4 | 427 | ||
| Region of residence | Eastern | 23.0 | 17.3 | 30.0 | 621 | 23.1 | 16.4 | 31.6 | 119 | 23.0 | 17.2 | 30.1 | 502 | .138 |
| Northern | 15.8 | 10.4 | 23.3 | 236 | 14.3 | 8.9 | 22.3 | 47 | 16.2 | 10.6 | 23.9 | 189 | ||
| Central | 34.5 | 27.1 | 42.8 | 567 | 39.7 | 30.8 | 49.4 | 123 | 33.2 | 25.8 | 41.5 | 444 | ||
| Southern | 26.7 | 19.9 | 34.7 | 409 | 22.8 | 15.8 | 31.8 | 81 | 27.7 | 20.5 | 36.2 | 328 | ||
| Social status | Lower | 26.0 | 22.6 | 29.8 | 345 | 24.4 | 18.1 | 32.0 | 66 | 26.5 | 22.8 | 30.5 | 279 | .767 |
| Middle | 59.4 | 55.8 | 62.9 | 1105 | 61.4 | 54.2 | 68.1 | 221 | 58.9 | 54.7 | 62.9 | 884 | ||
| Upper | 14.6 | 12.5 | 16.9 | 376 | 14.2 | 10.7 | 18.7 | 80 | 14.7 | 12.4 | 17.3 | 296 | ||
| Body mass index, kg/m2 | <25 | 20.3 | 18.2 | 22.6 | 400 | 20.0 | 15.3 | 25.8 | 83 | 20.4 | 17.9 | 23.0 | 317 | .215 |
| 25–30 | 44.0 | 41.2 | 46.9 | 823 | 39.5 | 33.6 | 45.8 | 146 | 45.2 | 41.9 | 48.5 | 677 | ||
| > = 30 | 35.7 | 32.7 | 38.8 | 592 | 40.5 | 34.2 | 47.1 | 139 | 34.4 | 31.0 | 38.0 | 453 | ||
| Recognized disability | Yes | 28.3 | 25.2 | 31.6 | 463 | 40.6 | 33.9 | 47.7 | 127 | 25.0 | 21.8 | 28.6 | 336 | .000 |
| No | 71.7 | 68.4 | 74.8 | 1322 | 59.4 | 52.3 | 66.1 | 238 | 75.0 | 71.4 | 78.2 | 1084 | ||
| Polypharmacy | Yes | 35.0 | 32.4 | 37.7 | 641 | 39.2 | 33.2 | 45.5 | 152 | 33.9 | 31.0 | 36.9 | 489 | .115 |
| No | 65.0 | 62.3 | 67.6 | 1192 | 60.8 | 54.5 | 66.8 | 218 | 66.1 | 63.1 | 69.0 | 974 | ||
| Daily drinking | Yes | 18.1 | 15.7 | 20.8 | 348 | 14.9 | 10.6 | 20.4 | 63 | 19.0 | 16.3 | 22.0 | 285 | .163 |
| No | 81.9 | 79.2 | 84.3 | 1381 | 85.1 | 79.6 | 89.4 | 287 | 81.0 | 78.0 | 83.7 | 1094 | ||
| Vision impairment | No | 77.9 | 75.2 | 80.5 | 1393 | 75.2 | 68.4 | 81.0 | 269 | 78.6 | 75.3 | 81.6 | 1124 | .179 |
| Slight | 18.2 | 15.8 | 20.9 | 290 | 18.5 | 13.5 | 24.8 | 61 | 18.1 | 15.4 | 21.2 | 229 | ||
| Severe | 3.9 | 2.8 | 5.3 | 66 | 6.3 | 3.4 | 11.2 | 19 | 3.3 | 2.2 | 4.7 | 47 | ||
| Frailty | No | 58.6 | 55.7 | 61.5 | 1129 | 52.8 | 45.8 | 59.6 | 201 | 60.2 | 56.7 | 63.5 | 928 | .019 |
| Pre-Frailty | 38.9 | 36.0 | 41.9 | 649 | 42.5 | 35.7 | 49.6 | 149 | 38.0 | 34.7 | 41.4 | 500 | ||
| Frailty | 2.5 | 1.7 | 3.5 | 43 | 4.7 | 2.7 | 8.1 | 17 | 1.9 | 1.2 | 3.0 | 26 | ||
| Continuous variables | Mean* | 95% CI* | n | Mean* | 95% CI* | n | Mean* | 95% CI* | n | |||||
| SBP, mm Hg | 130.3 | 129.2 | 131.5 | 1828 | 128.1 | 125.9 | 130.3 | 367 | 130.9 | 129.7 | 132.1 | 1461 | .015 | |
| DBP, mm Hg | 72.8 | 72.2 | 73.5 | 1828 | 71.2 | 70.0 | 72.4 | 367 | 73.3 | 72.5 | 74.0 | 1461 | .003 | |
*Weighted and standardized to the population of 31.12.2010. P values: Comparison between people with falls and without falls.
Community size: Rural towns (<5,000 inhabitants), small cities (5,000-<20,000 inhabitants), middle-sized cities (20,000-<100,000 inhabitants) and large cities (100,000 inhabitants or more)
Region of residence: Eastern Germany (Berlin, Brandenburg, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Sachsen, Sachsen-Anhalt and Thüringen); Northern Germany (federal states: Bremen, Hamburg, Niedersachsen and Schleswig-Holstein); Central Germany (Hessen, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Rheinland-Pfalz and Saarland); Southern Germany (Baden-Württemberg and Bayern).
Missing values: Living alone (n = 4), social status (n = 7), recognized disability (n = 48), vision impairment (n = 84), daily drinking (n = 104), frailty (n = 12).