Fear of falling in older adults living at home: Associated factors

Abstract

Objective: To identify the factors associated with the fear of falling in the older adult
living at home. Method: Cross-sectional study with probabilistic sampling of older
adult enrolled in two Family Health Strategies (FHS). The fear of falling was measured
by the Brazilian version of the Falls Efficacy Scale-International and by a household
questionnaire that contained the explanatory variables. Multiple Linear Regression using
the stepwise selection technique and the Generalized Linear Models were used in the
statistical analyses. Results: A total of 170 older adults participated in the research, 85
from each FHS. The majority (57.1%) aged between 60 and 69; 67.6% were female; 46.1%
fell once in the last year. The majority of the older adults (66.5%) had high fear of falling.
In the final multiple linear regression model, it was identified that a higher number of
previous falls, female gender, older age, and worse health self-assessment explained 37%
of the fear of falling among the older adult. Conclusion: The findings reinforce the need
to assess the fear of falling among the older adult living at home, in conjunction with the
development and use of strategies based on modifiable factors by professionals to reduce
falls and improve health status, which may contribute to the reduction of the fear of
falling among the older adult.

Full text

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Fearoffallinginolderadultslivingathome:
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www.ee.usp.br/reeusp Rev Esc Enferm USP · 2017;51:e03215
* Extracted from the project “Avaliação da
preocupação dos idosos da comunidade em cair”,
Escola de Enfermagem Wenceslau Braz, 2012.
1 Universidade Federal de São Paulo, Escola
Paulista de Enfermagem, São Paulo, SP, Brazil.
2 Universidade de São Paulo, Escola de
Enfermagem de Ribeirão, Programa
de Pós-Graduação em Enfermagem
Psiquiátrica, Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brazil.
3 Escola de Enfermagem Wenceslau
Braz,Itajubá, MG, Brazil.
4 Hospital Escola de Itajubá,Itajubá, MG, Brazil.
5 Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul,
Escola de Enfermagem, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.
6 Universidade Federal de Alagoas, Escola de
Enfermagem e Farmácia, Maceió, AL, Brazil.
ABSTRACT
Objective: To identify the factors associated with the fear of falling in the older adult
living at home. Method: Cross-sectional study with probabilistic sampling of older
adult enrolled in two Family Health Strategies (FHS). e fear of falling was measured
by the Brazilian version of the Falls Ecacy Scale-International and by a household
questionnaire that contained the explanatory variables. Multiple Linear Regression using
the stepwise selection technique and the Generalized Linear Models were used in the
statistical analyses. Results: A total of 170 older adults participated in the research, 85
from each FHS. e majority (57.1%) aged between 60 and 69; 67.6% were female; 46.1%
fell once in the last year. e majority of the older adults (66.5%) had high fear of falling.
In the nal multiple linear regression model, it was identied that a higher number of
previous falls, female gender, older age, and worse health self-assessment explained 37%
of the fear of falling among the older adult. Conclusion: e ndings reinforce the need
to assess the fear of falling among the older adult living at home, in conjunction with the
development and use of strategies based on modiable factors by professionals to reduce
falls and improve health status, which may contribute to the reduction of the fear of
falling among the older adult.
DESCRIPTORS
Aged; Accidental Falls; Fear; Geriatric Nursing; Family Health Strategy; Cross-Sectional
Studies.
Fear of falling in older adults living at home: associated factors*
Medo de cair em idosos residentes no domicílio: fatores associados
Miedo de caer en ancianos residentes en su domicilio: factores asociados
Luciano Magalhães Vitorino1, Carla Araujo Bastos Teixeira2, Eliandra Laís Vilas Boas3, Rúbia Lopes Pereira4, Naiana Oliveira
dos Santos5, Célia Alves Rozendo6
How to cite this article:
Vitorino LM, Teixeira CAB, Vilas Boas EL, Pereira RL, Santos NO, Rozendo CA. Fear of falling in older adults living at home: associated factors. Rev Esc
Enferm USP. 2017;51:e03215. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/S1980-220X2016011803215
Received: 03/14/2016
Approved: 01/05/2017
Corresponding author:
Luciano Magalhães Vitorino
Rua Napoleão de Barros, 754
CEP 04024-002 – São Paulo, SP, Brazil
lucianoenf@yahoo.com.br
ORIGINAL ARTICLE DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/S1980-220X2016011803215

2www.ee.usp.br/reeusp
Fear of falling in older adults living at home: associated factors
Rev Esc Enferm USP · 2017;51:e03215
INTRODUCTION
Falls are dened as events in which the individual inad-
vertently comes to rest on the ground or lower level, against
his will. is event has a high incidence among people over
65 years old, reaching 30% of the older adult living at home.
Falling is considered one of the most common causes of hos-
pitalization in the older adult population(1). It is estimated
that one in three older adult people suers a fall yearly and
less than half report it to their physicians. Among these falls,
one in ve causes serious injury, such as fractures or head
injuries
(2)
, which implies in a high impact on health care
expenses worldwide(1,3) and contributes to the fact that falls
among the older adult are a public health issue(4).
Besides the fall itself, an important aspect to be empha-
sized in the older adult population is the fear of falling,
which has been described as a permanent fear or worry of
tumbling
(3)
. is fear can set up barriers in daily activities and
cause a state of anxiety and even inhibition and/or restriction
of these activities(4-5). is can reduce mobility and physical
tness, compromise lower limb muscles and the balance
of the older adult, and consequently increase risk of future
falls(3-5). is way, the fear of falling may be a predictor of
falls and, consequently, of their negative repercussions for
the older adult, including demands for individualized care
(4,6)
.
As a result, there may be a greater need to use health ser-
vices, resulting in higher expenses considering the cost of
long hospitalizations, medical interventions and medication,
among other expenses(2,7).
e “fear of falling” problem has been a major concern
not only for the older adult, but also for families and health
care providers, considering it can lead to greater use of health
services
(2-3)
. e consequences of the fear of falling go through
the clinical, psychological, social and epidemiological spheres,
and should receive special attention, since the ramications
of the consequences are important for the health, well-being
and quality of life (QoL) of the older adult(8).
Based on the identication of the factors associated with
the fear of falling in the older adult, it is possible to get an
overview that can help in the development of actions aimed
not only at the target audience but also actions involving
health professionals who deal with the older adult, their rela-
tives and caregivers(8-9). e relevance of the study is based
on the premise that knowledge about the factors associated
with fear of falls is crucial, since falls of the older adult are an
important public health problem and one of the main causes
of mental health and QoL impairment in this population
(1)
.
us, the present study aimed to identify the factors associ-
ated with the fear of falling in older adult living at home.
METHOD
A cross-sectional and probabilistic sampling research was
conducted with older adult people aged 60 years or older
enrolled in two of the 12 Family Health Strategies (FHS)
from a city located in the southern Minas Gerais State,
Brazil. e choice for the FHS was made by convenience.
e two FHS were chosen because of the familiarity of the
institutions with the research team. In 2010, this city had
90,658 inhabitants, with 11,397 (12.57%) people aged 60
and over. FHS1 (n=456) and FHS2 (n=444) had a total of
7,128 registered people, of which 900 (12.62%) were older
adult. Data was collected between June and August 2012 by
two trained members of the research team.
e sample was calculated based on a nite population
(10)
of 900 older adult people and at least a 90.5% fear of falling
in one of the 16 FES-I-Brazil activities on the study carried
out with older adult people from Diamantina, MG(11); we
adopted a sampling error of ± 5% and a 95% condence
interval (α=1.96). us, the minimum sample required for
this study was 136 older adults. e numbers of the records
of each older adult enrolled in the two FHS were used to
draw 50% of the sample (n=68) in each FHS. For inclusion
in the sample, the participants met the following criteria:
age ≥ 60 years, be registered and live within the area covered
by one of the FHS that were scenarios of this study. e
exclusion criterion adopted was the bedridden older adult.
For this study, a sociodemographic and health house-
hold questionnaire was conducted, consisting of the explana-
tory variables: age; gender; level of education; marital sta-
tus; chronic disease; daily use of medication; number of
falls; time of the last fall; use of glasses; diculty seeing
even with the use of glasses; necessity of walking aid and
self-assessment of health status. e Falls Ecacy Scale
International scale was used to evaluate the outcome: con-
cern about the possibility of falling. is scale was validated
for the Brazilian population (FEI-I-BRAZIL) in 2010(12). It
has excellent psychometric properties and has been validated
in several countries. For Brazil’s validation, the internal con-
sistency measured with Cronbach’s alpha presented excellent
psychometric properties (α=0.96). rough this scale, “it’s
possible to investigate the concern about the possibility of
falling in 16 distinct daily activities, scored on a Likert scale
from 1 to 4, with a score that can vary from 16 (no concern)
to 64 (extreme concern). e items evaluated cover tasks
related to postural control, associated with a higher level
of diculty, and other basic, instrumental and socialization
tasks, which involve less physical demand”
(12)
. Regarding the
interpretation of the FES-I-Brazil scale, those responsible
for validation in Brazil conclude that the total score is the
best element to evaluate the concern about falling(12). e
cut-o score used indicate a score of 16 to 22 as low concern
and from 23 to 64 as high concern about falling(13).
e data was managed by the Statistical Package for
the Social Sciences – SPSS® version 21. To describe the
sociodemographic characteristics, and the FES-I-Brazil Scale,
descriptive statistics were used. e Kolmogorov-Smirnov
test with Lilliefors correction demonstrated normal distri-
bution of the FES-I-Brazil scale (p=0.105). Simple Linear
Regression (SLR) and Multiple Linear Regression (MLR)
(14) were used to identify the factors associated with the fear
of falling through the FES-I-Brazil scale (dependent vari-
able). e MLR models were constructed using the stepwise
selection technique, starting from the model in which all p ≥
0.05 variables are excluded. Using two models, it was possible
to determine which independent variables were associated
with fear of falling among the older adult in this study. e

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Vitorino LM, Teixeira CAB, Vilas Boas EL, Pereira RL, Santos NO, Rozendo CA
www.ee.usp.br/reeusp Rev Esc Enferm USP · 2017;51:e03215
Generalized Linear Models (GLM)
(15)
were used in order
to test the mean dierences of the FES-I-Brazil among the
subgroups of statistically signicant MLR covariates dened
by number of falls (never, once, twice); gender (male, female);
age (60 to 69, 70 or more) and health self-assessment (good,
regular). e F test and the degrees of freedom (d.f.) were used
to describe the GLM univariate analysis. e signicance level
adopted was 5%, with a 95% condence interval (95% CI).
e study was conducted in accordance with the guide-
lines and regulatory norms of the Resolution 466/2012
of the National Health Council/Ministry of Health, on
Research Involving Human Beings and approved by the
Research Ethics Committee under decision number 50521,
July 4th, 2012. e objectives of the research were claried
and all the participants signed an Informed Consent Form.
RESULTS
A total of 188 older adult people were approached, eight
of whom refused to participate in the study, three were visi-
tors and did not live in the perimeters of the selected FHS,
two had psychological conditions of anxiety/sadness and
ve were bedridden or were wheelchair users. At the end of
data collection, 170 older adult people participated in this
research, 85 older adult from each FHS (Table 1).
e majority (57.1%) were between 60 and 69 years old,
67.6% were female and 54.1% of the older adult reported
having a partner. Approximately 78.0% reported having at
least one chronic disease and 83% had daily use of at least
one medication. Regarding the history of falls, 76.5% had
had at least one fall and 46.1% had a fall in the last year.
e proportion among the older adult who wore glasses
and the ones who did not was the same (35.9%), and the
majority (55.5%) had diculty seeing, even with glasses.
Approximately, 86% of the older adult did not use walking
aids. Regarding the self-assessment of health status, 70.0%
of the older adult reported that their health was good.
e fear of the possibility of falling assessed by the FES-I
Brazil Scale presented mean of 29.5. (SD=10.2; 95.0% con-
dence interval= 28.0-31.1). When rating this fear, the results
showed that 66.5% (n=113) of the older adult presented a
score between 23 and 64 in the FES-I Brazil Scale, which
represents a high concern about falling, and 33.5% (n=57) of
the older adult had low concern about falling, with a score
between 16 and 22.
Table 2 presents two models of Linear Regression used to
evaluate the factors associated with the fear of falling among
the older adult in the community. In the rst SLR model, it
is observed that only the variable number of previous falls
explained 21.0% of the variance of fear of falling (B=5.6;
p<0.001). In the nal MLR model, the number of previ-
ous falls (B=3.3; p<0.001), plus gender (B=-7.0; p<0.003),
age (B=0.2; p<0.001) and health self-assessment (B=-3.7;
p=0.001) explained 37.0% of the variance of fear of falling.
Table 2 – Results of simple and multiple linear regression for the
fear of falling in older adult in the FES-I-Brazil Scale – Itajubá,
Minas Gerais, Brazil, 2012
Models Variables B (95% CI) P Value Adjusted R2
1st model
FES-I-Brazil Number of falls 5.6 (3.9 ; 7.3) <0.001 0.21
Final modela
FES-I-Brazil
Number of falls 3.3 (1.6 ; 4.9) <0.001
0.37
Gender -7.0 (-9.7 ; – 4.2) 0.003
Age 0.2 (0.1 ; 0.4) <0.001
Health self-
assessment -3.7 (-6.0 ; 1.1) 0.001
a: Used in the Generalized Linear Models; B: Beta coecient is the estimate of the
increase or decrease of the dependent variable for each 1-point increase of the inde-
pendent variable; CI: 95% Condence Interval.
GLMs (Table 3) were used to explore the mean dif-
ference between the covariates associated with the fear of
falling among the older adult. e fear of falling presented
a statistically signicant dierence between the number of
previous falls: (F=11.1; d.f.=2,; p<0.001); gender: (F=19.5;
d.f.=1; p<0.001), age: (F=4.2; d.f.=1; p<0.001) and health
self-assessment: (F=9.2; d.f.=1; p=0.003).
Regarding the number of previous falls, it was identied
that there was no statistically signicant dierence between
the older adult who had never fell and the older adult who
had fell only once (mean dierence= – 2.9; p=0.4). But a dif-
ference in the fear of falling was observed among the older
adult who had never fell and the older adult who had fell
twice (mean dierence= – 7.7; p<0.001). When comparing
Table 1 – Characteristics of the older adult – Itajubá, Minas
Gerais, Brazil, 2012
Variables n (%)
Age 60 to 69 97 (57.1)
70 or more 73 (42.9)
Gender Male 55 (32.4)
Female 115 (67.6)
Education
Never studied 26 (15.3)
<8 years 128 (75.3)
≥8 years 16 (9.4)
Marital status With a partner 92 (54.1)
No partner 78 (45.9)
Chronic disease Yes 132 (77.6)
No 38 (22.4)
Daily medication Yes 141 (82.9)
No 29 (17.1)
Number of falls
Never fell 40 (23.5)
Once 34 (20.0)
Twice 96 (56.5)
Time of the last fall <1 year 60 (46.1)
≥1 year 70 (53.9)
Wear glasses
Yes 61 (35.9)
No 61 (35.9)
Sometimes 48 (28.2)
Difculty seeing even with
glasses
Yes 95 (55.5)
No 75 (44.1)
Walking aid
Yes 21 (12.4)
No 146 (85.9)
Sometimes 3 (1.8)
Health self-assessment Good 119 (70.0)
Regular 51 (30.0)

4www.ee.usp.br/reeusp
Fear of falling in older adults living at home: associated factors
Rev Esc Enferm USP · 2017;51:e03215
the older adults who fell once with those who fell twice,
the dierence in fear of falling was lower and statistically
signicant (mean dierence= – 4.7; p=0.021). Older women
presented greater fear of falling than older men (mean dif-
ference= – 8.0; p<0.001). e age dierence was also a factor
that presented discrepancy in the fear of falling. Younger,
60-69 year-olds were less fearful of falling than older adults
aged 70 or over (mean dierence= – 4.6; p=0.042). Older
adult patients with worse health self-assessment were more
fearful of falling than older adults with better self-assessment
(mean dierence= – 7.8; p=0.003 (Table 3).
Table 3 – Mean difference FES-I-Brazil Scale – Itajubá, Minas
Gerais, Brazil, 2012
Variables Mean difference 95% CI P – Value
Number of falls
Never Once -2.9 -7.7 ; 1.8 0.408
Never Twice -7.7 -11.8 ; – 3.6 <0.001
Once Twice -4.7 -8.9 ; 0.5 0.021
Gender Male -8.0 -9.1 ; – 3.4 <0.001
Female
Age
(years old)
60 to 69 -4.6 -5.3 ; 0.1 0.042
70 or more
Health self-
assessment
Good -7.8 -8.8 ; – 2.4 0.003
Regular
Note: Mean dierence; SD: standard deviation; CI: condence interval.
DISCUSSION
e present study investigated the factors associated with
fear of falling among older adult people living at home. e
majority of these older adults (67.0%) had a high fear of fall-
ing. e factors associated with fear of falling were: higher
number of falls; women; worse health self-assessment and
age, especially for those above 70 years.
A higher number of falls was the main factor that
explained the fear of falling among the older adult who
lived in their own house. Older adults who fell twice were
more afraid of falling than older people who had never
fell or had fell once. It is noteworthy that no dierence in
the fear of falling was found between older adults who fell
once and those who had never fell. Any older adult person
with a history of falls, with or without injury, is more likely
to trigger a fear of falling
(11,13)
. Recurring falls among the
older adult has been highlighted as a relevant factor for the
development of fear of falling
(16-17)
. Fear, in most cases, is
related to the possibility of fractures, hospitalization and
compromising autonomy of the older adult
(13,17)
. is fear
can trigger changes in the behavior of the older adult, such
as restrictions of basic daily and instrumental activities and
reduction of physical tness, which lead to cardiovascu-
lar risks and musculoskeletal disorders. In addition, it may
increase the risk of falls(4,18) and compromise the QoL of
the older adult(6).
Falls and fear of falling are mutually associated, since
the older adult presenting an outcome have a high risk of
developing the other(6). In the present study, no signicant
dierence was identied between the fear of falling among
the older adult who fell once and those who never fell. In
previous studies, a statistically signicant dierence in the
fear of falling among older adult people who never fell and
who fell once was detected
(11)
. It is believed that this nding
may be associated with the severity of the fall. Older adults
who suered a fall with complications, such as fractures or
injuries, are more afraid of falling than older adult people
who did not suer complications(6,8). is study did not
investigate the outcome fracture/lesions, which may make
it dicult to make some inferences with the present ndings.
An inuence of the female gender on the fear of falling
was observed. Older adult women were more likely to fall
than older adult men(19). e fear of falling among older adult
women was associated with reduced physical activity
(19)
; obe-
sity(20-21); impairment of activities of daily living (ADLs)(19);
social isolation
(4)
; higher depressive symptoms
(20,22)
; higher
probability of future falls(23). e fear of falling among older
adult women is inuenced by a number of factors peculiar to
gender, such as a higher prevalence of chronic non-commu-
nicable diseases (NCDs) and musculoskeletal frailty
(23)
; low
bone density after menopause and greater and more rapid
loss of muscle mass, due to the hormonal decrease(24). It is
also believed that the higher frequency of household tasks
can inuence this fear(3). Older adult women also have more
diculty engaging in physical activities of muscle strength-
ening(25). Another factor that should be highlighted is that
even though women recognize health risks more easily, men
are more resistant to accepting these risks(26).
Older people who assessed their health status as “regular”
were more afraid of falling than the older adult with “good”
health self-assessment. A worst health status among the
older adult has been associated with greater fear of falling in
international studies, such as studies in e United States of
America(27), England(28), Nigeria(4), and also Brazil(7). To the
World Health Organization
(4)
, in addition to NCDs, physi-
cal and cognitive decline, physical frailty, aective impair-
ment, and depression may exacerbate the fear and risk of
falling among the older adult. is study corroborates the
need to detect older adult people vulnerable to this fear, with
the purpose of elaborating preventive measures against the
increase of the fear of falling to contribute to the reduction
of the fear of falling and the number of falls among these
older adults.
Age was another factor associated with fear of falling.
70 years old or older adults were more fearful of falling than
younger older adult people (60-69 years). e older adult
usually present with advancing age a decline in physical and
mental functioning, as well as an increase in physical frailty
and in the number of NCDs
(29)
. is set of alterations aects
the older and contributes to the greater fear of falling among
older individuals
(19)
. A population-based study with 9,033
South Korean, aged over 65, found that older people over
75 years of age are more likely to have fear of falling than
younger older adult
(30)
. A higher age was also associated with
a greater fear of falling in other international studies(28). In
relation to the published national literature, this study is
regarded as dierent from the others because it identies

5
Vitorino LM, Teixeira CAB, Vilas Boas EL, Pereira RL, Santos NO, Rozendo CA
www.ee.usp.br/reeusp Rev Esc Enferm USP · 2017;51:e03215
that with the advancement of age, the fear of falling in older
adult people living at home increases.
e present study has some limitations. During the
research conducted in their homes, it was not investigated
whether, after the fall, there were fractures/lesions. It is
believed that this questioning could help explain why there
was no association of the fear of falling among older adult
who had never fell and those who had fell once, which opens
a gap for future studies. Other limitations were the reduced
number of older adult people aged 80 years or older, which
made it dicult to use this category in the results and analy-
sis, and the use of only two categories to assess the percep-
tion of the health status of the older adult.
CONCLUSION
is study showed that the older adult who have already
fallen twice, female, with worse health self-assessment, and
over 70 years of age were more afraid of falling. In terms
of recommendations for practice, the ndings reinforce the
need to assess the fear of falling among older adult people
living at home. is assessment does not imply high costs, it
is uncomplicated and can be carried out by members of the
multi-professional team of the FHS or Basic Health Units
(BHU), which are closer to the community. Supervised
physical exercises for strengthening upper and lower limb
muscles and developing balance should be provided. Group
and individual educational activities are important because
they aim to understand the risks of falls and provide the
idea that the fear of falling is controllable. e supervision of
modiable risk factors in the older adult households should
be carried out by the multi-professional team of the FHS or
the BHU, to reduce the possibility of falling. e associated
factors found in this study can contribute to the elaboration
of preventive actions to reduce the fear of falling and the
possible consequences of this fear in ADL, physical and
mental health, socialization and in the QoL of the older
adult, besides impacting on the costs and organization of
health systems and services.
Longitudinal studies in larger samples with a multifacto-
rial approach should be carried out to identify the possible
predictive factors of the fear of falling from older adult liv-
ing at home.
RESUMO
Objetivo: Identicar os fatores associados ao medo de cair em idosos residentes no domicílio. Métodos: Estudo transversal com
amostragem probabilística de idosos cadastrados em duas Estratégias Saúde da Família (ESF). O medo de cair foi avaliado pela versão
brasileira da escala Falls Ecacy Scale International e por um inquérito domiciliar que continha as variáveis explicativas. A Regressão
Linear Múltipla por meio da técnica stepwise selection e os Modelos Lineares Generalizados foram utilizados nas análises estatísticas.
Resultados: Participaram da pesquisa 170 idosos, 85 de cada ESF. A maioria (57,1%) tinha entre 60 e 69 anos de idade; 67,6% eram
do sexo feminino; 46,1 % tiveram queda no último ano. A maioria dos idosos (66,5%) tinha elevado medo de cair. No modelo nal de
regressão multivariada, identicou-se que maior número de quedas anteriores, sexo feminino, idade mais avançada, e pior autoavaliação
de saúde explicaram 37% do medo de cair entre os idosos. Conclusão: Os achados reforçam a necessidade da avaliação do medo de cair
entre os idosos que residem no próprio domicílio, assim como o desenvolvimento e a utilização de estratégias pelos prossionais voltadas
para os fatores modicáveis, de modo a reduzir as quedas e melhorar o estado de saúde, o que pode contribuir para a diminuição do
medo de cair entre os idosos.
DESCRITORES
Idoso; Acidentes por Quedas; Medo; Enfermagem Geriátrica; Estratégia Saúde da Família; Estudos Transversais.
RESUMEN
Objetivo: Identicar los factores asociados con el miedo de caer en ancianos residentes en su domicilio. Métodos: Estudio transversal
con muestreo probabilístico de ancianos registrados en dos Estrategias Salud de la Familia (ESF). El miedo de caer fue evaluado por la
versión brasileña de la escala Falls Ecacy Scale International y por una encuesta domiciliaria que contenía las variables explicativas. La
Regresión Lineal Múltiple mediante la técnica stepwise selection y los Modelos Lineales Generalizados fueron utilizados en los análisis
estadísticos. Resultados: Participaron en la investigación 170 ancianos, 85 de cada ESF. La mayoría (57,1%) tenía entre 60 y 69 años de
edad; el 67,6% eran del sexo femenino; el 46,1 % sufrieron caída el último año. La mayoría de los ancianos (66,5%) tenía elevado miedo
de caer. En el modelo nal de regresión multivariada, se identicó que mayor número de caídas anteriores, sexo femenino, edad más
avanzada y peor autoevaluación de salud explicaron el 37% del miedo de caer entre los ancianos. Conclusión: Los hallazgos refuerzan la
necesidad de la evaluación del miedo de caer entre los ancianos que residen en su propio domicilio, así como el desarrollo y la utilización
de estrategias por los profesionales dirigidos a los factores cambiables, a n de reducir las caídas y mejorar el estado de salud, lo que
puede contribuir para la reducción del miedo de caer entre los ancianos.
DESCRIPTORES
Anciano; Accidentes por Caídas; Miedo; Enfermería Geriátrica; Estrategia de Salud Familiar; Estudios Transversales.
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