Falls are prevalent in older people, and often result in injuries that impose limitations upon daily activities and threaten autonomy [1,2]. Older people are often aware of these potentially devastating consequences, and report to be afraid of falling [2]. Although fear of the consequences of falling is often thought necessary to raise awareness and to encourage people towards participation in falls prevention programs, there is a growing consensus that fear of falling may be maladaptive and can lead to the avoidance of fall-related activities [1,2]. The resulting reduction in activity leads to physical deconditioning [3,4], poor quality of life [4,5], and increased falls risk [5,6].
Few studies of falls, fear of falling, anxiety, and depression have been able to unravel the ‘chicken and egg’ question regarding the interrelationships among these measures, since most studies are cross-sectional. Furthermore, the problem of inappropriate fear, either too much or too little, has been neglected in the current literature. The current study aims to investigate prevalence and associated factors of fear of falling in older people.
Approximately 500 community-dwelling older people (age: 70+) will be recruited.
Longitudinal cohort study with a one-year follow-up period.
At baseline, participants undertake a two-hour assessment including several tests and questionnaires, to gather information regarding physiological and psychological risk factors of falls. During one year, participants are closely followed up with regard to falls, injuries and fear of falling, using monthly fall calendars. At 12 months follow-up, the same procedure as at baseline is repeated.
