Validation of Physical Function Tests to Evaluate the Risk for Falls and Mild Cognitive Impairment in Community-dwelling Older Adults

Abstract

Falls and mild cognitive impairment (MCI) prevention in older adults are very important issues in primary care prevention. The risk for both increases in relation with the decline of a person’s physical functions, but whether or not physical function tests can adequately gauge a person’s risk factor for both have not yet been fully examined. This study aims to reveal the differences in physical functions in groups with falls and/or MCI risk factors among community-dwelling older adults. The participants included 153 men and 764 women who attended a care prevention program. They were classified into 4 groups as robust or high-risk for falls and MCI based on Demura’s fall risk assessment (DFRA) and the Montreal cognitive assessment (MoCA-J). The physical function tests attempted to assess strength, balance, walk and fall avoidance capacity (hip displacement in the anteroposterior direction (Hip-D)). The results of the physical function tests among the groups were analyzed with two-way ANOVA with age covariate and the Bonferroni correction was used to account for multiple comparisons by gender. Knee extension strength and single-leg standing time showed significant differences in the fall factor for men and in the MCI factor for women. The Hip-D was the only test that was able to clearly show the difference in risk factor for fall and MCI in both genders. Therefore, it was suggested that Hip-D was an effective parameter to detect persons with high risk in both factors.