%0 Journal Article
%T Examination of useful items for the assessment of fall risk in the community-dwelling elderly Japanese population
%J Environmental health and preventive medicine
%D 2010
%A Demura, Shin-ichi
%A Sato, Seiji
%A Yokoya, Tomohisa
%A Sato, Toshihisa
%V 15
%N 3
%P 169-179
%X OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to select useful items for assessing fall risk in healthy elderly Japanese individuals. METHODS: A total of 965 healthy elderly Japanese subjects aged >/=60 years (349 males 70.4 +/- 7.1 years, 616 females 69.9 +/- 7.1 years) participated in this study. Of these, 16.6% had suffered from a previous fall. We assumed five fall risk factors: symptoms of falling, physical function, disease and physical symptoms, environment, and behavior and character. Eighty-six items were selected to represent these factors. To confirm the component items for each risk factor, we performed factor analysis (principle factor solution and varimax rotation). The high-fall risk response rate was also calculated for each item, and significant differences in this rate were examined between groups of those who had and not had experienced a fall. RESULTS: Useful items were selected using the following criteria: (1) items showing a significant difference in high fall risk response rate between faller and non-faller groups were selected as useful items; (2) items showing low factor loading (<0.4) for any factor were deleted as inappropriate items; (3) the top two items showing a greater amount of the difference in high fall risk response rate among the representative items for each factor. A total of 50 items were selected from each fall risk factor (symptoms of falling, 3 items; physical function, 22 items; disease and physical symptom, 13 items; environment, 4 items; behavior and character, 8 items). CONCLUSIONS: Based on our results, the selected items can comprehensively assess the fall risk of a healthy elderly Japanese population. In addition, the assessment items for physical function comprised items of different levels of difficulty, and these are able to gradually and comprehensively assess physical function.<p /> <p>Language: en</p>
%G en
%I Holtzbrinck Springer Nature Publishing Group
%@ 1342-078X
%U http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s12199-009-0124-7