The association between foot problems and falls in older adults—A covariance structure analysis

Abstract

Aim: To investigate the manner in which community-dwelling older adults' foot problems affect their history of falls. Methods: This study included 112 community-dwelling older adults. Foot problems (e.g., inflammation, ingrown nails, and pain while walking), self-rated physical ability (e.g., gait, tripping over, and balance), history of falls within a year, and physical ability (e.g., walking speed, Timed Up & Go test, and one leg balance test) were measured during a routine health checkup. Of these, five subjects were excluded due to incomplete all the measurement. Thus, the subjects eligible for analysis were 107 older adults (mean age±standard deviation = 73.0±5.5 years). Covariance structure analysis was used to identify the inter-relationships among all measurements. Results: The covariance structure analysis showed that foot problems negatively influenced participants' self-rated physical ability, and this relationship was also linked to history of falls. The overall fit of this model was judged to be statistically satisfactory (GFI = 0.959, AGFI = 0.912, CFI = 0.981, RMSEA = 0.043). Conclusions: Our model indicated that the association between foot problems and history of falls was affected by self-rated physical ability. Furthermore, in order to prevent falls, the current results suggest that foot care could be an important intervention in older adults to prevent decline in their overall physical ability. © 2012, The Japan Geriatrics Society. All rights reserved.