Depressive symptoms increase the risk of falls in elderly Chinese

• Published in: Ji chu yi xue yu lin chuang = Jichu yixue yu linchuang = Basic medical sciences and clinics Vol. 42; no. 6; pp. 945 - 949
• Main Author: LIU Yan-li, ZHAO Rui-xue, PAN Yan, MA Ya-jun, ZHAO Tun, JIANG Xiao-yan, LI Shu-juan
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: Chinese
• Published: Institute of Basic Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences / Peking Union Medical College 01.06.2022
• Subjects: depression symptoms|falls|elderly|cohort study
• DOI: 10.16352/j.issn.1001-6325.2022.06.027
• ISSN: 1001-6325

Objective To investigate whether depression is a potential risk factor for falls in the elderly in China. Methods Data were collected from the Subcohort of Rugao Longevity and Aging Study. Depression in the elderly was assessed by the GDS-15(Geriatric Depression Scale), and the occurrence of falls in the subjects at baseline in 2014 and the second follow-up in 2017 were collected and recorded. According to the depression status, subjects were divided into depression group and normal group, and the general information and occurrence of falls were compared between the two groups. Logistic regression was used to analyze whether depression increased the risk of falls in older adults. Results In the cross-sectional study of 1 548 subjects, the incidence of falls was 8.3%. The proportion of subjects in the “fall” group was higher in older age, lower education level and cognitive impairment. Compared with the normal group, the depressed group had a higher proportion of women, farmers, less education, unmarried, non-