Table 3 Health and lifestyle characteristics according to fall history in the follow-up sample (n = 632)
From: Risk factors for falls in older adults in a South African Urban Community
Characteristic | Fallers | Non-Fallers | P value |
|---|---|---|---|
n = 170 | n = 462 | ||
Self-rated health status (N (%)) | Â | Â | 0.040 |
 Very good, Good | 105 (61.8) | 243 (52.6) |  |
 Poor, Very poor | 65 (38.2) | 219 (47.4) |  |
Perceived health compared to a year ago (N (%)) | Â | Â | 0.045 |
 Better/same | 147 (86.5) | 424 (91.8) |  |
 Worse | 23 (13.5) | 38 (8.2) |  |
Self-rated mobility (N (%)) | Â | Â | 0.617 |
 Independent | 142 (83.5) | 378 (81.8) |  |
 With difficulty | 28 (16.5) | 84 (18.2) |  |
Self-reported previous fall (yes) | 64 (37.6) | 75 (16.2) | <0.001 |
Self-reported previous recurrent falls (yes) | 34 (18.1) | 57 (15.6) | <0.001 |
Self-reported medical conditions | Â | Â | Â |
 Hypertension (Yes) | 112 (65.9) | 326 (70.6) | 0.258 |
 Arthritis (Yes) | 109 (64.1) | 278 (60.2) | 0.367 |
 Cardiovascular disease (Yes) | 95 (55.9) | 159 (34.4) | <0.001 |
 Foot problems(Yes) | 69 (40.6) | 108 (23.4) | <0.001 |
 Diabetes (Yes) | 50 (29.4) | 143 (31.0) | 0.709 |
 Dizziness, vertigo (Yes) | 51 (30.0) | 77 (16.7) | <0.001 |
 Chronic lung disease (Yes) | 13 (7.6) | 36 (7.8) | 0.952 |
 Depression (Yes) | 12 (7.1) | 27 (5.8) | 0.574 |
 Stroke (Yes) | 15 (8.8) | 22 (4.8) | 0.054 |
 Poor memory (Yes) | 6 (3.5) | 13 (2.8) | 0.640 |
 Cancer (Yes) | 16 (9.4) | 27 (5.8) | <0.001 |
 Parkinson’s disease (Yes) | 7 (4.1) | 6 (1.3) | 0.027 |
Number of medical conditions (median, IQR) | 4 (2–5) | 3(2–4) | <0.001 |
Number of medications (median (IQR) | 5 (3–7) | 4 (2–5) | <0.001 |
SES index (median, IQR) | 8 (7–8) | 7(6–8) | <0.001 |
Residents per household (median (IQR)) | 3 (2–4) | 3 (2–5) | 0.002 |
Hand grip (kg) (median IQR) | 9.5 (2–16) | 10 (6–16) | 0.044 |
Timed Up and Go test (seconds) | 14 (11–19) | 14 (11–20) | 0.538 |
Chair stands (seconds) | 14 (10–17) | 15 (11–20) | 0.004 |
BMI (median, IQR) | 27 (24–32) | 28 (25–32) | <0.001 |
Poor urine control (Yes) | 62 (36.5) | 97 (21.0) | <0.001 |
Impaired hearing (Yes) | 58 (34.1) | 94 (20.3) | <0.001 |
Vision (N (%)) | Â | Â | Â |
 Far: poor (Yes) | 8 (4.7) | 35 (7.6) | 0.204 |
 Near: poor (Yes) | 1 (0.6) | 32 (6.9) | 0.001 |
Tobacco use (N (%)) | Â | Â | 0.001 |
 Current (Yes) | 23 (13.5) | 56 (12.1) |  |
 Previous (Yes) | 58 (34.1) | 93 (20.1) |  |
Alcohol consumption (N (%)) | Â | Â | 0.090 |
 Current (Yes) | 33 (19.4) | 64 (13.9) |  |
 Previous (Yes) | 16 (9.4) | 31 (6.7) |  |