Fear of falling and physical fitness in community-dwelling older adults
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.47197/retos.v43i0.88588Keywords:
Strenght, Healthy aging, Falls, Exercise, Health PromotionAbstract
The fear of falling is pointed out as a psychological consequence resulting from the loss of functionality and balance inherent to aging. Maintaining good levels of physical fitness may be the key to preserve the quality of life and independence of the older adult. This study aims to verify the relationship of fear of falling with the physical fitness of older adults inserted in a community physical exercise program. The sample included 308 older adults, aged ³ 65 years (86.8% female; age 74.78 ± 5.72 years, height 1.56 ± 0.08 m, weight 67.13 ± 12.14 kg), from Baixo Alentejo, Portugal. The study involved collecting indicators on the participants' sociodemographic characteristics, the history of falls, fear of fall (FES-I Portugal scale); level of physical activity (IPAQ-E - short version) and physical fitness indicators (Rikli & Jones, 2013). There were significant associations between fear of falling and physical fitness variables. Low fear of falling seems to be related to better lower strength (p <.001), agility and dynamic balance (p <.001), and cardiorespiratory fitness (p <.001). reporting a relationship of increased fear of falling and decreased physical fitness levels. The results reveal that a low fear of falling is related to better functional capacity. In order to contribute to the maintenance and development of essential physical capacities and avoid a decrease in quality of life, we reinforce the importance of physical exercise programs that include strength, agility, balance and cardiorespiratory fitness, integrated in multifactorial interventions. These strategies can, through the promotion and maintenance of functional capacity, create a better perception of competence and consequently reduce the fear of falling in older adults.
References
André, N., Ferrand, C., Albinet, C., & Audiffren, M. (2018). Cognitive Strategies and Physical Activity in Older Adults: A Discriminant Analysis. Journal of aging research, 2018. doi:https://doi.org/10.1155/2018/8917535
Apóstolo, J., Cooke, R., Bobrowicz-Campos, E., Santana, S., Marcucci, M., Cano, A., . . . Holland, C. (2018). Effectiveness of interventions to prevent pre-frailty and frailty progression in older adults: a systematic review. JBI database of systematic reviews and implementation reports, 16(1), 140-232. doi:https://doi.org/10.11124/JBISRIR-2017-003382
Baptista, F., & Sardinha, L. (2005). Avaliação da Aptidão Física e do Equilíbrio de Pessoas Idosas – Baterias de Fullerton. Lisboa: Faculdade de Motricidade Humana,.
Barreto, P. d. S., Rolland, Y., Vellas, B., & Maltais, M. (2019). Association of Long-term Exercise Training With Risk of Falls, Fractures, Hospitalizations, and Mortality in Older Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. JAMA internal medicine, 179(3), 394-405. doi:https://doi.org/10.1001/jamainternmed.2018.5406
Bauman, A., Bull, F., Chey, T., C., C., Ainsworth, B., Sallis, J., . . . The IPS Group. (2009). The International Prevalence Study on Physical Activity: results from 20 countries. International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity, 6(21). doi:https://doi.org/10.1186/1479-5868-6-21
Bruce, D., Hunter, M., Peters, K., Davis, T., & Davis, W. (2015). Fear of falling is common in patients with type 2 diabetes and is associated with increased risk of falls. Age Ageing, 44, 687-690. doi:10.1093/ageing/afv024
Bull, F. C., Al-Ansari, S. S., Biddle, S., Borodulin, K., Buman, M. P., Cardon, G., . . . Willumsen, J. F. (2020). World Health Organization 2020 guidelines on physical activity and sedentary behaviour. British Journal of Sports Medicine, 54(24). doi:10.1136/bjsports-2020-102955
Chase, J. A. D., Phillips, L. J., & Brown, M. (2017). Physical Activity Intervention Effects on Physical Function Among Community-Dwelling Older Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Journal of Aging and Physical Activity, 25(1), 149-170. doi:https://doi.org/10.1123/japa.2016-0040
Chodzko-Zajko, W. J., Proctor, D. N., Fiatarone Singh, M. A., Minson, C. T., Nigg, C. R., Salem, G. J., & Skinner, J. S. (2009). American College of Sports Medicine position stand. Exercise and physical activity for older adults. Med Sci Sports Exerc, 41(7), 1510-1530. doi:10.1249/MSS.0b013e3181a0c95c
Chua, C. H. M., Jiang, Y., Lim, D. S., Wu, V. X., & Wang, W. (2019). Effectiveness of cognitive behaviour therapy-based multicomponent interventions on fear of falling among community-dwelling older adults: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 75(12), 3299–3315. doi:https://doi.org/10.1111/jan.14150
Cleland, C., Ferguson, S., Ellis, G., & Hunter, R. F. (2018). Validity of the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) for assessing moderate-to-vigorous physical activity and sedentary behaviour of older adults in the United Kingdom. BMC medical research methodology, 18(1). doi:https://doi.org/10.1186/s12874-018-0642-3
Corselli-Nordblad, L., & Strandell, H. (2020). Ageing Europe: Looking at the Lives of Older People in the EU. In EUROSTAT (Ed.). doi:10.2785/628105
Delbaere, K., Close, J., Mikolaizak, A., Sachdev, P., Brodaty, H., & Lord, S. (2010). The Falls Efficacy Scale International (FES-I). A comprehensive longitudinal validation study. Age and Ageing, 39, 210-216. doi: https://doi.org/10.1093/ageing/afp225
Direção-Geral da Saúde. (2017). Programa Nacional para a Promoção da Atividade Física. Retrieved from https://www.sns.gov.pt/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/DGS_PNPAF2017_V7.pdf
Garber, C. E., Blissmer, B., Deschenes, M. R., Franklin, B. A., Lamonte, M. J., Lee, I.-M., . . . Swain, D. P. (2011). Quantity and Quality of Exercise for Developing and Maintaining Cardiorespiratory, Musculoskeletal, and Neuromotor Fitness in Apparently Healthy Adults. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 43(7), 1334-1359. doi:ttps://doi.org/10.1249/MSS.0b013e318213fefb
Gazibara, T., Kurtagic, I., Kisic-Tepavcevic, D., Nurkovic, S., Kovacevic, N., Gazibara, T., & Pekmezovic, T. (2017). Falls, risk factors and fear of falling among persons older than 65 years of age. Psychogeriatrics, 17, 215-223. doi:10.1111/psyg.12217
Gillespie, L. D., Robertson, M. C., Gillespie, W. J., Sherrington, C., Gates, S., Clemson, L. M., & Lamb, S. E. (2012). Interventions for preventing falls in older people living in the community. The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 9(9), 1-416. doi:https://doi.org/10.1002/14651858.CD007146.pub3
Gomes, M., Manzano, S., & Loureiro, V. (2019). The consequence of exercise interventions on rate of falls and balance in Multifactorial Interventions: Systematic Review. Paper presented at the International Congress of Health and Well-being Intervention.
Hopewell, S., Adedire, O., Copsey, B., Boniface, G., Sherrington, C., Clemson, L., . . . Lamb, S. (2018). Multifactorial and multiple component interventions for preventing falls in older people living in the community (Review ). Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews(7). doi:https://doi.org/10.1002/14651858.CD012221.pub2.www.cochranelibrary.com
Hurtig-Wennlöf, A., Hagströmer, M., & Olsson, L. (2010). The International Physical Activity Questionnaire modified for the elderly: Aspects of validity and feasibility. Public Health Nutrition, 13(11), 1847-1854. doi:10.1017/S1368980010000157
International Physical Activity Questionnaire. (2009). International Physical Activity Questionnaire (2009) International Physical Activity Questionnaire downloads. Retrieved from https://sites.google.com/site/theipaq/questionnaire_links
Jefferis, B. J., Iliffe, S., Kendrick, D., Kerse, N., Trost, S., Lennon, L. T., . . . Whincup, P. H. (2014). How are falls and fear of falling associated with objectively measured physical activity in a cohort of community-dwelling older men? BMC Geriatrics, 14(1), 114. doi:https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2318-14-114
Jin, J. (2018). Prevention of Falls in Older Adults. JAMA, 319(16). doi:doi:10.1001/jama.2018.4396
Kempen, G., Yardley, L., Haastregt, J., Zijlstra, G., Beyer, N., Hauer, K., & Todd, C. (2008). The Short FES-I: a shortened version of the falls efficacy scale-international to assess fear of falling. Age Ageing, 37(1), 45-50. doi:https://doi.org/10.1093/ageing/afm157
Kumar, A., Carpenter, H., Morris, R., Iliffe, S., & Kendrick, D. (2014). Which factors are associated with fear of falling in community-dwelling older people? Age and Ageing, 43(1), 76–84. doi:https://doi.org/10.1093/ageing/aft154
Lenze, E. J., & Wetherell, J. L. (2011). A lifespan view of anxiety disorders. Dialogues in Clinical Neurosciences, 13, 381-399.
Loureiro, V., Paixão, C., & Castillo-Viera, E. (2021). Prevención de Caídas y Ejercício Físico como Determinantes de la Salud de las Personas Mayores. In M. Mendoza-Sierra & E. Moreno-Sánchez (Eds.), La longevidad como transformación social en el siglo XXI (pp. 65-84): Editiones ALJIBE.
Lusardi, M., Fritz, S., Middleton, A., Allison, L., Wingood, M., Phillips, E., . . . Chui, K. (2017). Determining Risk of falls in community dwelling older adults: A systematic review and meta-analysis using posttest probability. Journal of Geriatric Physical Therapy, 40(1). doi:https://doi.org/10.1519/JPT.000000000000009
Madeira, S. G., Sousa, P. A., Envia, G., Marques, S., & Moreira, T. M. (2018). Physical activity counseling: A proposed clinical intervention flowchart. Acta Medica Portuguesa, 31(6), 295–298. doi:https://doi.org/10.20344/amp.9920
Manemann, S. M., Chamberlain, A. M., Boyd, C., Weston, S. A., Jiang, R., & Roger, V. L. (2016). Fall risk and outcomes in cardiovascular disease-A community study. Circulation, 134(A15665).
Marfell-Jones, M. J., Stewart, A. D., & Ridder, J. H. (2012). International standards for anthropometric assessment - ISAK: International Society for the Advancement of Kinanthropometry,.
Marques-Vieira, C. M. A., Sousa, L. M. M., Sousa, L. M. R., & Berenguer, S. M. A. C. (2018). Validation of the Falls Efficacy Scale – International in a sample of Portuguese elderly. Revista Brasileira de Enfermagem, 71, 747-754. doi:https://doi.org/10.1590/0034-7167-2017-0497
Martínez Heredia, N., Santaella Rodríguez, E., & Rodríguez-García, A.-M. (2020). Beneficios de la actividad física para la promoción de un envejecimiento activo en personas mayores. Revisión bibliográfica. Retos, 39, 829-834. doi:https://doi.org/10.47197/retos.v0i39.74537
Mishra, N., Mishra, A. K., & Bidija, M. (2017). A study on correlation between depression, fear of fall and quality of life in elderly individuals. International Journal Of Research In Medical Sciences, 5, 1456-1460. doi:10.18203/2320-6012.ijrms20171245
Pedersen, B. K., & Saltin, B. (2015). Exercise as medicine - Evidence for prescribing exercise as therapy in 26 different chronic diseases. Scandinavian Journal of Medicine and Science in Sports, 24, 1–72. doi: https://doi.org/10.1111/sms.12581
Refacho, A., Santos, J., Magalhães, M., Lourenço, T., & Fernandes, B. (2019). Efeitos do treino orientado para a tarefa na marcha, equilíbrio e medo de cair após acidente vascular cerebral: estudo de caso. Saúde & Tecnologia ÚDE & TECNOLOGIA . NOVEMBRO | 2019 | #22 | P. 28-33 . ISSN: , 28-33.
Rikli, R. E., & Jones, C. J. (2013). Development and Validation of Criterion-Referenced Clinically Relevant Fitness Standards for Maintaining Physical Independence in Later Years. The Gerontologist, 53(2), 255-267. doi:https://doi.org/10.1093/geront/gns071
Sherrington, C., Fairhall, N., Kwok, W., Wallbank, G., Tiedemann, A., Michaleff, Z., . . . Bauman, A. (2020). Evidence on physical activity and falls prevention for people aged 65+ years: systematic review to inform the WHO guidelines on physical activity and sedentary behaviour. International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity, Int J Behav Nutr Phys Act 17, 144 (2020). (144). doi:https://doi.org/10.1186/s12966-020-01041-3
Silva, P., Graça, P., Mata, F., Arriaga, M. T., & Silva, A. J. (2016). Estratégia Nacional para a Promoção da Atividade Física, da Saúde e do Bem-Estar. Lisboa: DGS Retrieved from https://www.dgs.pt/documentos-e-publicacoes/estrategia-nacional-para-a-promocao-da-atividade-fisica-da-saude-e-do-bem-estar-pdf.aspx
Silva, R., Aldoradin-Cabeza, H., Eslick, G. D., Phu, S., & Duque, G. (2017). The effect of physical exercise on frail older persons: a systematic review. The Journal of Frailty & Aging, 6(2), 91-96. doi:https://doi.org/10.14283/jfa.2017.7
Tejada Medina, V., Díaz Caro, C., González García, C., & Ruiz Montero, P. (2020). Programas de intervención física en mujeres mayores a través del método Pilates: Una revisión sistemática. Retos, 39, 1006-1016. doi:https://doi.org/10.47197/retos.v0i39.78005
Todd, C., & Skelton, D. (2004). What are the main risk factors for falls among older people and what are the most effective interventions to prevent these falls? Retrieved from http://www.euro.who.int/document/E82552.pdf,
Verma , S. K., Willetts, J. L., Corns, H. L., Marucci-Wellman, H. R., Lombardi, D. A., & Courtney, T. K. (2016). Falls and fall-related injuries among community-dwelling adults in the United States. PLOS ONE, 11. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0150939.
WHO. (2008). WHO global report on falls prevention in older age. Retrieved from https://apps.who.int/iris/handle/10665/43811
Wijlhuizen, G. J., Chorus, A. M., & Hopman-Rock, M. (2010). The FARE: a new way to express FAlls Risk among older persons including physical activity as a measure of exposure. Preventive medicine, 50(3), 143–147. doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ypmed.2009.12.014
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2021 Vania Azevedo Ferreira Brandao de Loureiro, Margarida Isabel Boteta Gomes, Ana Ruivo Alves
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:
- Authors retain copyright and ensure the magazine the right to be the first publication of the work as licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgment of authorship of the work and the initial publication in this magazine.
- Authors can establish separate additional agreements for non-exclusive distribution of the version of the work published in the journal (eg, to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgment of its initial publication in this journal.
- Is allowed and authors are encouraged to disseminate their work electronically (eg, in institutional repositories or on their own website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as to a subpoena more Early and more of published work (See The Effect of Open Access) (in English).
This journal provides immediate open access to its content (BOAI, http://legacy.earlham.edu/~peters/fos/boaifaq.htm#openaccess) on the principle that making research freely available to the public supports a greater global exchange of knowledge. The authors may download the papers from the journal website, or will be provided with the PDF version of the article via e-mail.
