Citation

Wickham C, Cooper C, Margetts BM, Barker DJ. Age Ageing 1989; 18(1): 47-51.

Affiliation

MRC Environmental Epidemiology Unit, University of Southampton, Southampton General Hospital.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1989, Oxford University Press)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

2565665

Abstract

In a national survey in Britain, 983 elderly people randomly selected from eight areas were asked about falls they had had in the past. The independent association of social and physical variables with a history of one or more falls was analysed by multiple logistic regression. Those who had fallen one or more times had reduced grip strength and were less mobile than those who had not fallen. More of them used non-phenothiazine tranquilizers, lived alone, had recently lost weight or were physically disabled. Independent of these influences, a history of having fallen was strongly related to place of residence. Part of this relationship was explained by differences in housing, in particular the percentage of houses without indoor lavatories.

Language: en