Factors associated with fear of falling among Saudi community-dwelling older adults: A cross-sectional study

Fear of falling (FOF) is closely associated with increased disability among older adults, resulting in significant public health concerns. This study aimed to determine the risk factors and predictors of falling (FOF) in older adults in Saudi Arabia. This cross-sectional study recruited 170 older adults (aged ≥ 60 years) from 3 tertiary hospitals and the Geriatric Society Center in Jeddah. FOF was assessed using the Falls Efficacy Scale-International (FES-I). Data were collected using the short Geriatric Depression Scale-15 (GDS-15) and physical functional assessments, including activities of daily living questionnaire, time up and go test, and hand grip strength. The prevalence of FOF among the older Saudi adults was 46.5%. Predictors of FOF included poor health perception (OR = 10.5, 95% CI = 1.26-87.73; P = .03), female gender (OR = 6.17, 95% CI = 1.57-24.14; P = .009), vision problems (OR = 3.81, 95% CI = 1.58-9.21; P = .003), a history of falls (OR = 3.29, 95% CI = 1.35-8.01; P = .009), and the timed up and go score (OR = 1.38, 95% CI = 1.09-1.17; P = .007), while no medication use is more likely to have less FOF (OR = 0.03, 95% CI = 0-0.40, P = .007). FOF is a prevalent issue and is associated with several factors, highlighting the importance of FOF assessments among older adults in Saudi Arabia.