Fall and its influential factors among older people living in urban communities in Jiading district of Shanghai

Objective To explore the factors related to fall in older people living in urban communities and to provide evidence for developing prevention program.Methods A cross-sectional studyas conducted in four communities of Jiading district,Shanghai.Persons over 55 years oldere selectedith multistage random-cluster sampling.Data on fallsithin previous 12 months and fall-related risk factorsere collected through a face-to-face interview.Results The overall incidence of fallas 7.12% ithin one year among the 1 672 interview ees.Results from multivariate logistic regression analyses show ed that risk factors for fall included female (odds ratio (OR)=2.150,95% confidence interval (CI):1.3523.420),age from 75 to 80 years(OR=2.032,95% CI:1.245-3.314),antihypertensive drug use(OR=2.107,95% CI:1.0684.158),taking exercise everyday(OR=1.273,95% CI:1.057-1.535),clumsy gait(OR=2.149,95% CI:1.118-4.130),and using support device in walking(OR=4.373,95% CI:1.740-10.989).The protective factors were physical disability(OR=0.246,95% CI:0.097-0.622),no restriction in lifting or carrying groceries(OR=0.527,95% CI:0.347-0.799).Conclusion Falls in the eldely are caused by combined intrinsic and extrinsic factors and the intervention on falls should be targeted on risk factors.