Citation

Stevens KN, Lang IA, Guralnik JM, Melzer D. Age Ageing 2008; 37(3): 300-305.

Affiliation

Peninsula Medical School, Epidemiology and Public Health Group, UK.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2008, Oxford University Press)

DOI

10.1093/ageing/afn019

PMID

18270246

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: to identify socio-economic, behavioural and disease status risks for impaired balance or self-reported dizziness in older people from a large population-based study. METHODS: data were from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA), for 2,925 participants, aged 65+. Multivariate models were used to assess the associations between balance and dizziness and disease status, health behaviours, grip strength and socio-economic markers. RESULTS: there were 21.5% (n = 619) participants with impaired balance and 11.1% (n = 375) reported dizziness. Impaired balance was statistically significantly associated with age, diabetes (OR = 1.53), arthritis (OR = 1.33), eyesight (OR = 1.94) and grip strength. The wealthiest 20% of participants were less likely to have impaired balance than the poorest 20% (OR = 0.46). Dizziness problems were not associated with age, gender or wealth, but were significantly associated with an abnormal heart rhythm (OR = 1.85), hearing (OR = 1.81), eyesight (OR = 1.72) and grip strength. CONCLUSION: the epidemiology of impaired balance differs from that of dizziness, and risk assessment approaches to prevent falls may need to elicit information on different problem-specific factors. Impaired balance test performance in older people may be added to the many outcomes showing strong socio-economic gradients.

Language: en