Fear of falling and physical fitness in community-dwelling older adults

Abstract

Abstact.The fear of falling is pointed out as a psychological consequence resulting from the loss of functionality and balance inherent to aging. Maintaining good levels of physical fitness may be the key to preserve the quality of life and independence of the older adult. This study aims to verify the relationship of fear of falling with the physical fitness of older adults inserted in a community physical exercise program.The sample included 308 older adults, aged > 65 years (86.8% female; age 74.78 ± 5.72 years, height 1.56 ± 0.08 m,weight 67.13 ± 12.14 kg),from BaixoAlentejo,Portugal.The study involved collecting indicators on the participants’sociodemographic characteristics, the history of falls,fear of fall (FES-I Portugal scale); level of physical activity (IPAQ-E - short version) and physical fitness indicators (Rikli & Jones, 2013).There were significant associations between fear of falling and physical fitness variables. Low fear of falling seems to be related to better lower strength (p