Malnutrition Risk, Rurality, and Falls among Community-Dwelling Older Adults

Objectives We aimed to evaluate if malnutrition and rurality are associated with fall risk and future falls in community-dwelling older adults. Design Prospective Cohort. Setting Community, Vermont. Participants Older adults receiving home support services who completed a health risk assessment (n=3,300; Mean age 79.6 years ±8.4, 75% female). Additional analysis was completed with a subset of 2,043 participants with two-years of consecutive health assessments. Measurements Fall Risk Questionnaire, DETERMINE Nutrition Risk Questionnaire, and fall history. Results Independently, high malnutrition risk and rurality were associated with fall risk (p