Association Between Changes in the Level of Social Support and Falls Among Older Adults

To determine the association between self-reported falls and level of social support or changes in social support among older adults.

Data from two repeated surveys were collected from the Mayo Clinic Biobank. Participants completed a baseline survey at the time of enrollment in the Mayo Clinic Biobank and a 10-year follow-up survey. We used logistic regression models to assess the association of seven social support variables reported in the baseline survey with fall-related outcomes reported in the follow-up survey. Similar analyses were conducted to assess the association of changes in the level of social support with falls and fall-related outcomes, adjusting for baseline social support, age, and gender.

A total of 37,210 participants responded to the surveys. The median participant age was 67 years for those who did not report a fall in the past year in the follow-up survey and 72 years for those who reported a fall. The proportion of self-reported gender was similar for those with falls (60.3% female, 39.7% male) and without falls (62.0% female, 38.0% male). Higher levels of baseline social support were associated with a lower likelihood of falls. Participants without social isolation had lower odds of falls than those with social isolation (odds ratio, 0.64; 95% CI, 0.60-0.68). Increased levels of social support were also associated with a lower likelihood of fall-related outcomes.

Our findings highlight the importance of social support that increases concomitant with age to reduce risk of falls among older adults.