Modeling the Relationship Between Symptom Burden, Falls, and Outcomes.

Area of Science:

• Gerontology
• Public Health
• Epidemiology

Background:

• Falls are a major public health concern for older adults.
• Increased symptom burden is common and linked to functional limitations and higher fall risk.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate if falls mediate the relationship between symptom burden and outcomes.
• To examine if symptom burden moderates the effect of falls on outcomes in older adults.

Main Methods:

• Utilized data from the National Health and Aging Trends Study.
• Employed path models to test mediation and moderation effects.
• Stratified analyses by age groups (65-79 and ≥80 years).

Main Results:

• In adults ≥80 years, higher symptom burden directly and indirectly increased hospitalization risk via falls, but attenuated the fall-hospitalization association.
• For adults <80 years, falls partially mediated the link between symptom burden and disability/wellbeing outcomes.
• Falls mediated symptom burden-outcome associations for those aged 65-79, but not for those ≥80 years.

Conclusions:

• Symptom burden may serve as a valuable tool for assessing fall risk in older populations.
• Future research should focus on interventions for symptom management and fall prevention tailored to older adults.