Relative importance of fall risk factors in identifying falls among community-dwelling older adults: A...

This study determined the relative strength of the association between fall risk factors and falls among community-dwelling older adults. Ninety-four older adults participated in this cross-sectional study. Their fall history in the past year and four categories of fall risk factors, including sensory (foot tactile sensation), motor (muscle strength and power), physical (balance, mobility, ankle range of motion, and physical activity level), and mental (fear of falling and cognitive functions), were collected. Logistic regression indicated that sensation, leg muscle power, and knee extensor strength collectively reached the highest faller status classification accuracy (70.7%). The Relative Weight Analysis results revealed that sensation accounts for 62.51% of the observed variation in faller status, followed by leg muscle power (32.49%) and knee extensor strength (5%). Our findings implied that foot sensation and leg muscle power could be used to assess one's risk of falls. Interventions targeting them may reduce falls for older adults.