Abstract
Introduction
For the elderly, falling constitute an important cause of morbidity and mortality.
Objective
Verify the recurrence of falls and identify factors associated with falls and recurrent falls.
Methodology
A 4-year follow-up study using two survey waves (2010 and 2014/2015), with a cohort of 218 elderly people, both genders and non-institutionalized, in Juiz de Fora-MG. Multinomial logistic regression was used to estimate the association of each independent variable with the outcomes analyzed. In the final model, variables with p ≤ 0.05 were maintained. Odds Ratio (OR) was calculated with a 95% confidence interval.
Results
33.5% of the participants reported falling in the prior year of the first inquiry. In the second inquiry, the frequency was 38.5%. During the follow-up study, 44.5% did not report falls, 39% suffered a fall in at least one of the surveys, and 16.5% reported falling in both waves. No associations for recurrent falls were found. In the follow-up, falls were associated with female gender and age (71 to 80 years old).
Conclusion
The results demonstrate and confirm the magnitude with which falls and recurrent falls affect the elderly population, and indicate the need for preventive strategies based on the identification of groups at risk.
Keywords:
aged; accidental falls; risk factors