The Relationship between The Fall Self-Efficacy Scale and Physical body Function.

­A Research for frail elderly individuals­

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between the fall self-efficacy and the physical body function in frail elderly individuals. The study consisted of 24 frail elderly individuals. The subjects were divided into the non-fall group (n= 17) and the fall group (n=7) according to the subjectʼs fall history within one year. The fall self-efficacy scale (FSES; Takenaka, 2002) is a measure of self-efficacy/confidence of perform certain daily activities without falling. The 5-m walk test (5MWT), timed up and go test (TUG) and single leg stance (SLS) were used as the criteria of the physical body function. The Spearman rank correlation method was used to assess the relationships between the FSES in each group and physical body function tests. In the non-fall group,there was a correlation between the FSES and the physical body function tests, whereas no significant correlation was observed in the fall group. Our study shows that the physical body function was recognized by subjects own in the non-fall group due to the correlation between the FSES and physical body function. However, no such correlation was observed in the fall-group. Thus, the FSES may be a useful criterion for fall prediction.