Fall risk prediction model for older men and women based on ambulatory physical activity level – A cross-sectional population-based study from the Oporto Region

• Autor(a) principal: Carmo, Paulo Jorge Quintela Cardoso do
• Data de Publicação: 2022
• Outros Autores: Pontes, Adjane Maria, Manuel, César, Santos, Rubim, Carvalho, Maria Joana Mesquita Barbosa de
• Tipo de documento: Artigo
• Idioma: eng
• Título da fonte: Repositório Científico de Acesso Aberto de Portugal (Repositórios Cientìficos)
• Texto Completo: http://hdl.handle.net/10400.22/20342
• topic: Active aging; Accelerometer; Balance; Motor activity levels; Sedentary behaviour

Falls among the elderly are an important community health problem due to its high incidence, functional and social repercussion. Dissimilar results arose in recent studies con cerning fall risk and physical activity levels. This study measures the association between physical activity (PA) levels, and fall risk (FR), investigates which levels of PA are influential in FR and pre sents a fall risk prediction models for the elderly. One hundred and seventy elderly adults (72.34 ± 6.70 years old, 124 female), completed Performance-Orientated-Mobility-As sessment; PA was assessed by accelerometry. Pearson’s correlation verified the association between FR, Age, and PA. Multiple linear regression (MLR) was used to investigate the influence of variables on FR. PA, age are predictors of FR, with PA (moderate, negative) age (moderate, positive). MLR analysis showed FR variability explained by PA (42.0%) and by age (37.0%), and by gender, female FR explained by light PA (47.0%), while in male, FR explained by sedentary behaviour (44.1%) and age (22.7%) independently. Individuals with higher physical activity have lower fall risk. Older are prone to fall. Older women with light physical activity are less likely to fall. Older men with more sedentary behaviour are prone to fall.