Effects of Age on Physical Activity Level, Strength and Balance Towards Fall Risk Index Among Women Aged 20–73 Years

Abstract

Falls was the leading cause of injury deaths among people aged 65 years and above. Those who were experienced falls and fall-related injury incidences such as fracture and the most serious form of osteoporotic fractures will result in pro-longed or permanent bedridden in aged individual. Therefore, this study was con-ducted to investigate the effects of age on physical activity level, strength and balance towards fall risk index (FRI) among women, as well as identifying the main contributing factors towards FRI test performance. Two-hundred healthy women participated and were divided into five age groups (A: 20–29, B: 30–39, C: 40–49, D: 50–59, and E: 60–73). Physical activity level was measured using 7-day International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ), and strength was measured using the handgrip dynamometer test while balance and FRI were measured using Biodex Balance Machine SD. Pearson's correlation and regression were used for statistical analysis (p < 0.05). Results indicate that participants were moderately active at the age of twenties to thirties, M = 2148.495, SD = 1712.862, and highly active at the age of forties to seventies, M = 3671.956, SD = 2400.216. Strength factors was at peak during thirties M = 21.89, SD = 3.75 and lowest level of strength recorded during seventies M = 15.81, SD = 4.84. Balance reaches the peak at thirties, M = 0.39, SD = 0.1937, and continues dropping significantly at forties to fifties, M = 0.74, SD = 0.434. There was a strong positive correlation between age and FRI, r = 0.693, and medium positive correlation between balance and FRI, r = 0.428, and small positive correlation between physical activity level and FRI, r = 0.271. Age was the main contributing factor (53.9 %), followed by strength (19.7 %), balance (18.2 %) and lastly, physical activity (8.2 %) towards FRI. To conclude, this study suggested that women aged 20–73 years were found to associate with FRI and four important aspects: age, strength, balance and physical activity.