Risk factors for falling in community-dwelling older adults: Which of them are associated with the recurrence of falls?

Background The aim of the study was to determine which risk factors were associated with the recurrence of falls among community-dwelling older adults. Methods Based on a cross-sectional design, 1066 community-dwelling volunteers aged 65 and older were recruited. The use of psychoactive drugs, the number of drugs taken per day, the basic mobility assessed with the Timed Up & Go test (TUG), the maximal isometric voluntary contraction strength of hand, the lower limb proprioception, the distance binocular vision, the fear of falling and the history of falls during the past year were recorded. Subjects were separated into 4 groups based on the number of falls: 0, 1, 2 and > 2 falls. Results Among the 395 (37.1%) fallers, 291 (27.3%) were single fallers and 104 (9.8%) were recurrent fallers (i.e., > 2 falls). The numbers of falls increased significantly with age (Incident Rate Ratio (IRR)=1.03, p