Knowledge and Perception of Falls among Community Dwelling Elderly: A Study from Southern Sri Lanka

The knowledge and perception of falls facilitate a better pathway to improve the health status among the elderly. Knowledge and perception of falls among community dwelling elderly were assessed in 300 participants (175 females) aged 65 years and above using an interviewer-administered questionnaire. Mean (SD) age of the participants was 73.0 (6.7) years. Majority (72%) knew some biological factors, and 60% knew environmental and behavioral factors which increase the risk of falls. Among 300 participants, 18% had poor, 61% had average, and 21% had good knowledge on falls. The mean (SD) knowledge was 48.14 (19.13). The most frequent (49%) information source was television. Significant associations were found between age (p = 0.002) and educational status (p < 0.001) with level of knowledge regarding falls. Individuals, 25.4% with good knowledge, 32.2% with average knowledge, and 51.9% with poor knowledge, had experienced falls during the previous 12 months (p = 0.007). Regarding perception of falls, 20.3% (n = 61) had negative perception and 79.7% (n = 239) had positive perception. Significant associations were found between gender (p = 0.01), age (p = 0.04), and level of education (p < 0.001) with perception of falls. This study revealed that the community dwelling elders had average knowledge and positive perception regarding falls and preventive measures, emphasizing the importance of falls prevention awareness programs.