Association Between Fear of Falling Without Having Fallen and Exclusive Life at Home in Colombian Population From the SABE Colombia Survey

Abstract

Introduction: The fear of falling syndrome is usually associated with functional impairment, depression, anxiety, poorer quality of life, and it has also been seen to have a higher prevalence in multimorbid people, those with polypharmacy, cardiovascular disease, and affective symptoms. Our study aims to evaluate the relationship between fear of falling in absence of a history of falls and exclusive life at home on a representative sample of older people in Colombia. Materials and methods: This is a secondary study of the Health, Well-being, and Aging Survey in Colombia. The dependent variable considered in this study was the fear of falling without having fallen, while the exposure variable was exclusive homebound living. We conducted a descriptive and bivariate analysis of the sample, followed by a multivariate analysis adjusting for confounding variables. Results: Among the 16,006 older adults included in the analysis, the mean age was 71.4 years, 53.84% were women; 35.44% reported a fear of falling without having experienced a fall, and 6.3% had an exclusive homebound lifestyle. Three regression models were conducted to examine the relationship between the fear of falling without prior falls and exclusive homebound living. The first model was adjusted for age, the second included adjustments for age, malnutrition, self-perceived health status, sarcopenia, and polypharmacy, and the third model incorporated the first 2 adjustments along with cardiovascular and musculoskeletal diseases. Model 1 revealed an OR of 1.27 (95% CI 1.28-1.45) with p < 0.001, while Models 2 and 3 both yielded an OR of 1.26 (95% CI 1.10-1.44), independently of the other variables (p < 0.001). Conclusion: There is an association between fear of falling without having fallen and exclusive life at home. The foregoing provides evidence to include this characteristic as a complementary parameter in the evaluation of older adults suffering from fear of falling.