The Worse the Physical Function, the More Probable the Concerns about Falling.

Area of Science:

• Gerontology
• Public Health
• Rehabilitation Science

Background:

• Limited research exists on the link between physical function and concerns about falling (CaF) in older adults.
• Fragmented assessments may underestimate the impact of physical function on CaF.
• The functional continuum (FC) offers a comprehensive measure of physical function, from robustness to disability.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the relationship between physical function, assessed via the functional continuum (FC), and concerns about falling (CaF) in older adults.
• To determine if FC can stratify CaF risk more effectively than previous methods.
• To explore the dose-response relationship between worsening physical function and CaF.

Main Methods:

• Utilized data from the National Health and Aging Trends Study (NHATS), Rounds 1-10.
• Employed a proportional hazards model to analyze CaF risk across different FC categories.
• Included 6,547 older adult participants in the analysis.

Main Results:

• 30.1% of participants reported CaF.
• A significant dose-response relationship was observed: CaF risk increased progressively with worsening FC (HR 1.13, 95% CI: 1.10-1.16).
• CaF risk significantly elevated in FC categories 4 (HR 1.35, 95% CI: 1.11-1.65) and categories 6-8 (doubled risk).

Conclusions:

• Worsening physical function is directly associated with increased CaF in older adults.
• The functional continuum (FC) provides a valuable tool for identifying older adults at high risk for CaF.
• FC can enhance existing risk assessment tools and inform the development of targeted fall prevention interventions.