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. 2015 May-Jun;23(3):158-61.
doi: 10.1590/1413-78522015230300816.

Prevalence of falls in elderly women

Priscila Regina Rorato Vitor  1 , Ana Carolina Kovaleski de Oliveira  1 , Renan Kohler  1 , Gabriele Regiane Winter  1 , Cintia Rodacki  1 , Maressa Priscila Krause  1
Affiliations

Prevalence of falls in elderly women

Priscila Regina Rorato Vitor et al. Acta Ortop Bras. 2015 May-Jun.

Abstract

Objective: To verify prevalence of falls and fear of falling, and to compare functional fitness among elderly women fallers and non-fallers.

Methods: Seventy-eight elderly women participated in this study. Cases of falls and the fear of falling were self-reported by the elderly women, while the functional fitness was measured by a set of functional tests. Mean and standard deviation were used to describe the sample. Independent t-test was used to compare functional fitness between groups.

Results: The prevalence of falls in this sample was 32.4%. Among women fallers, 40% self-reported a high fear of falling.

Conclusion: It is recommended that functional and resistance exercises are included in the preventive strategies for reducing risk factors for falls and its determinants in elderly women. Level of Evidence II, Prognostic-Prospective Study.

Keywords: Accidental falls; Aged; Physical fitness.

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Conflict of interest statement

All the authors declare that there is no potential conflict of interest referring to this article.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.. Assessment flow chart
Figure 2.
Figure 2.. Relative frequency of fear of falling again.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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