Cross-Sectional Relationship Between Physical Activity and Falls in Older Adults, United States 2003

Falls are a major health problem for older adults. The purpose of this study is to examine the cross-sectional association between non-occupational physical activity and falls and fall-related injuries in US adults age 65 y or older.

Respondents age 65 y or older were selected from the 2003 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (n = 47,619).

The age-adjusted incidence of falls was significantly higher among inactive respondents (16.3%, 95% CI: 15.2-17.6) than insufficiently active (12.3%, 95% CI: 11.4-13.2) or active (12.6%, 95% CI: 11.6-13.7) respondents. After controlling for sex, age, education, and body-mass index, active and insufficiently active respondents were significantly less likely to have fallen and were significantly less likely to have had a fall-related injury than their inactive peers.

These results show that active and insufficiently active older adults experience a lower incidence of falls than their inactive peers.