@article{ref1,
title="Epidemiology of balance and dizziness in a national population: findings from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing",
journal="Age and ageing",
year="2008",
author="Stevens, Kara N. and Lang, Iain A. and Guralnik, Jack M. and Melzer, David",
volume="37",
number="3",
pages="300-305",
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.<p /> <p>Language: en</p>",
language="en",
issn="0002-0729",
doi="10.1093/ageing/afn019",
url="http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/ageing/afn019"
}