Relationship between the occurrence of falls by season and physical functions of community‐dwelling old‐old people living in cold, snowy areas

• Published in: Geriatrics & gerontology international Vol. 19; no. 2; pp. 124 - 129
• Main Authors: Kihara, Yuriko, Yamaguchi, Ryo, Makino, Keitaro, Shimizu, Kotaro, Ito, Kazunari, Furuna, Taketo
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Kyoto, Japan John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd 01.02.2019; Blackwell Publishing Ltd
• Subjects: aging; fall; maximum gait speed; Older people; season; snowy‐cold region; season; aging; fall; snowy-cold region; maximum gait speed
• ISSN: 1444-1586; 1447-0594
• DOI: 10.1111/ggi.13566

Aim To investigate the functional characteristics of older adults who experienced a fall in the winter season and other seasons. Methods Participants were 403 older adults enrolled in the project “Population‐Based and Inspiring Potential Activity for Old‐old Inhabitants,” and were living in cold, snowy regions in Japan. They were aged ≥75 years, and 41.9% (n = 169) were men. Sociodemographic characteristics, and physical, psycho‐cognitive and social factors were surveyed. By experiences of falls, they were divided into three groups: the non‐fall group, the fall in non‐winter group and the fall in winter group. Each factor was compared with a χ2‐test, Student's t‐test and Mann–Whitney U‐test. Logistic regression analysis was carried out. spss version 25 was used for the statistical analysis. The level of significance was set at 5%. Results No differences were confirmed between the non‐fall and fall in winter groups. In contrast, the maximum walking speed in the fall in non‐winter group was significantly slower than the non‐fall group, even with adjustment by variables, such as age, sex and self‐efficacy. Conclusions When considering intervention methods for health promotion, it is necessary to consider not only the presence or absence of falls, but also the seasons of falls. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2019; 19: 124–129.