Association of BMI-Adjusted Calf Circumference and Age-Specific Cutoff Values With In-Hospital Falls Among Older...

Area of Science:

• Gerontology
• Clinical Nutrition
• Epidemiology

Background:

• Calf circumference (CC) serves as a surrogate marker for muscle mass.
• Optimizing CC's clinical utility involves body mass index (BMI) adjustment and age-specific cutoffs.
• In-hospital falls are a significant concern for older adults.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the association between BMI-adjusted CC and age-specific low CC cutoffs with in-hospital falls in older adults.
• To determine if these adjusted CC measures improve prediction compared to unadjusted CC.

Main Methods:

• Utilized data from the Japan Hospital Acquired Complications (J-HAC) project, a multicenter cohort study.
• Included adults aged 65 years and older, measuring CC on admission.
• Applied multivariable logistic regression, adjusting for age and comorbidities, to analyze CC's association with falls.

Main Results:

• In females, higher BMI-adjusted CC correlated with a lower risk of in-hospital falls (adjusted OR=0.88).
• Low BMI-adjusted CC, using age-specific cutoffs, was independently linked to increased fall risk in females (adjusted OR=2.39).
• No significant associations between CC measures and falls were observed in males.

Conclusions:

• BMI-adjusted CC and age-specific cutoffs demonstrate a stronger association with in-hospital falls in older females.
• These refined CC measures may enhance fall risk assessment in this demographic.
• Further research is needed to validate these findings in diverse populations and for other outcomes.