Agility is a Factor in Falls by Community-dwelling Elderly Persons

Abstract

[Purpose] A hitherto rarely used agility index was added to traditional fall assessments, and factors related to falls were investigated in community-dwelling elderly persons. [Subjects] Seventy-eight community-dwelling persons (21 men, 57 women; average age, 76.5 years). [Methods] The history of falls in the previous 1 year, and the results of motor function assessments were recorded, and the falls and no-fall groups were compared using the unpaired t-test. Multiple logistic regression analysis was performed with falls as the dependent variable, and the cut-off value was calculated. [Results] In the comparison of the falls and no-fall groups, only a significant difference for stepping was found. From the input variables, stepping was identified as significant with an odds ratio of 0.714, and the cut-off value was judged to be 14 times, with a sensitivity of 76.9% and a specificity of 61.5%. [Conclusion] The results clearly show that falls by community-dwelling elderly persons are influenced by agility.