Fall risk among older adults residing in Bharatpur, Chitwan, Nepal

Abstract

Background: Falls in older people is a common serious health problem that has profound im­pact on overall health and quality of life of older people. The aim of this study was to assess the fall risk among older adults.

Methods: The descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out among older adults residing in Bharatpur, Chitwan. A total of 98 older adults were selected by using simple random sampling technique. The data were collected by using structured interview schedule and fall risk was as­sessed by Timed Up and Go (TUG) test. Data were collected from 23rd June, 2019 to 7th July, 2019. Obtained data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics.

Results: The study findings revealed that more than half (60.2%) of the older adults were from the age group of ≤79 years, male (63.3%) and almost half (50%) were illiterate. Nearly all (96.9%) older adults were living with their family however, 50% were undernourished (BMI- <22.9). Ma­jorities (66.3%) were suffering from chronic diseases and had been taking medicine. Majority of older adults reported vision problem (64.3%) and hearing problem (60.2%). However, only 8.2% reported history of fall within last 6-12 months. More than half (59.2%) of the older adults had high risk of fall and found significant association with age (p=0.039) and vision problem (p=0.043).

Conclusions: More than half of the older adults are in risk of falls. Therefore, more emphasis should be given in screening the older people for fall risk factors as preventive measures.