Table 1.
Baseline Characteristics of Study Participantsa
| Characteristic | Intervention N = 384 |
Control N = 359 |
|---|---|---|
| Age, y, mean | 81.9 ± 4.7 | 81.8 ± 5.0 |
| Female, n (%) | 214 (55.7) | 223 (62.1) |
| Race, n (%) | ||
| White | 351 (91.4) | 332 (92.5) |
| Black | 19 (4.9) | 15 (4.2) |
| Other | 12 (3.1) | 12 (3.3) |
| Unknown | 2 (.5) | 0 (.0) |
| Hispanic ethnicity, n (%) | 21 (5.5) | 33 (9.2) |
| Education, n (%) | ||
| High school graduate or less | 94 (24.5) | 102 (28.4) |
| Some college or equivalent | 100 (26.0) | 102 (28.4) |
| College graduate | 70 (18.2) | 72 (20.1) |
| Postgraduate | 120 (31.3) | 82 (22.8) |
| Unknown | 0 (.0) | 1 (.3) |
| Self-rated health, n (%) | ||
| Excellent | 37 (9.6) | 30 (8.4) |
| Very good | 114 (29.7) | 102 (28.4) |
| Good | 151 (39.3) | 146 (40.7) |
| Fair or poor | 82 (21.4) | 79 (22.0) |
| Unknown | 0 (.0) | 2 (.6) |
| Chronic conditions,b mean | 2.2 ± 1.4 | 2.3 ± 1.3 |
| Hypertension, n (%) | 250 (65.1) | 255 (71.0) |
| Fracture other than hip since age 50, n (%) | 133 (34.6) | 131 (36.5) |
| Cancer, n (%) | 104 (27.1) | 100 (27.9) |
| Arthritis, n (%) | 65 (16.9) | 73 (20.3) |
| Diabetes, n (%) | 80 (20.8) | 72 (20.1) |
| Chronic lung disease, n (%) | 47 (12.2) | 63 (17.5) |
| Myocardial infarction, n (%) | 47 (12.2) | 46 (12.8) |
| Stroke, n (%) | 27 (7.0) | 29 (8.1) |
| Congestive heart failure, n (%) | 33 (8.6) | 32 (8.9) |
| Hip fracture, n (%) | 25 (6.5) | 13 (3.6) |
| Parkinson’s disease, n (%) | 19 (4.9) | 8 (2.2) |
| Cognitively impaired,c n (%) | 10 (2.6) | 8 (2.2) |
| Use of mobility aid or nonambulatory,d n (%) | 155 (40.4) | 145 (40.4) |
| Screening questions for fall injuries, n (%) | ||
| Fell ≥2 times in past year | 143 (37.2) | 128 (35.7) |
| Fell and hurt self in past year | 137 (35.7) | 134 (37.3) |
| Afraid of falling because of balance or walking problems | 329 (85.7) | 312 (86.9) |
| No. positive fall screening questions, n (%) | ||
| One | 228 (59.4) | 209 (58.2) |
| Two | 87 (22.7) | 85 (23.7) |
| Three | 69 (18.0) | 65 (18.1) |
| Eligible based on fear of falling alone, n (%) | 185 (48.2) | 178 (49.6) |
a
All means are expressed ± standard deviation.
b
Listed in order of overall prevalence from highest to lowest.
c
Four or more errors on six-item Callahan cognitive screener or interview completed entirely by proxy.
d
The number of nonambulatory participants was 3 (.8%) in the intervention group and 4 (1.1%) in the control group.