Citation

Lim JY, Jang SN, Park WB, Oh MK, Kang EK, Paik NJ. Arch. Phys. Med. Rehabil. 2011; 92(6): 954-959.

Affiliation

Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, Seoul, South Korea.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2011, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/j.apmr.2010.12.041

PMID

21621672

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the association between habitual exercise and fear of falling in an older Korean population. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study conducted in a population-based sample of an urban city. SETTING: Urban city in South Korea. PARTICIPANTS: Randomly sampled older Korean people (N=828; aged ≥65y) living in a typical urban city located in South Korea. INTERVENTION: Standardized telephone interview. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Data on exercise habits, history of falls during the previous year, and fear of falling were obtained using a random digit dialing telephone survey method. Multiple linear regression and multiple logistic regression analyses were used to examine the association between exercise habits and the fear of falling. RESULTS: The incidence of falls in the study cohort was 13%, and the prevalence of the fear of falling was 67.4% (47.6% in men and 80.8% in women). About 30% of those that expressed a fear of falling stated that this was the cause of their limited activity. Older men and women who exercised regularly showed a similar level of fear of falling, but they were less likely to experience fear-related activity restriction than nonexercisers. CONCLUSIONS: A regular exercise habit was found to be inversely associated with fear-related activity restriction regardless of fall experience among older Korean men and women.

Language: en