Prevalence and Associated Risk Factors of Falls among Rural Community-Dwelling Older People: A Cross-Sectional Study from Southern Sri Lanka

Table 4

Comparison of risk factors between recurrent fallers and nonrecurrent fallers (n=300).

Characteristic		Recurrent fallers; n=29	Nonrecurrent fallers; n=271	Significance; (p-value)
Biological factors
Age	65-74 years	22 (75.9)	78 (28.8)	< 0.001
	75 years and above	7 (24.1)	193 (71.2)
Gender	Male	9 (31.0)	116 (42.8)	0.22
	Female	20 (69.0)	155 (57.2)
Presence of at least one chronic medical condition		27 (93.1)	156 (57.6)	< 0.001
Presence of more than one chronic medical condition		18 (62.1)	68 (25.1)	< 0.001
Presence of more than two chronic medical conditions		9 (31.0)	14 (5.2)	< 0.001
Diabetes Mellitus		13 (44.8)	44 (16.2)	< 0.001
Cardiac diseases		9 (31.0)	25 (9.2)	< 0.001
Hypertension		21 (72.4)	103 (38.0)	< 0.001
Hyperlipidemia		1 (3.4)	21 (7.7)	0.39
Vertigo/Dizziness		4 (13.8)	7 (2.6)	0.002
Arthritis		2 (6.9)	22 (8.1)	0.81
Chronic pulmonary disease		4 (13.8)	13 (4.8)	0.04
Epilepsy		1 (3.4)	5 (1.8)	0.55
Vision impairment affecting day-to-day activities		27 (93.1)	203(74.9)	0.02
Balance/gait problems or foot abnormality		26 (89.7)	83 (30.6)	< 0.001
Problem with sleep such as insomnia		22 (75.9)	122 (45.0)	0.002
Behavioral factors
Usage of at least one long term medication		22 (75.9)	117 (43.2)	0.001
Usage of more than one long term medication		14 (48.3)	48 (17.7)	< 0.001
Usage of more than two long term medication		6 (20.7)	11 (4.1)	< 0.001
Antihypertensive drugs		18(62.1)	91 (33.6)	0.002
Oral hypoglycemic drugs		12 (41.4)	37 (13.7)	< 0.001
Cardiac/lipid lowering drugs		10 (34.5)	35 (12.9)	0.002
Steroids		3 (10.3)	13 (4.8)	0.20
Consumption of alcohol		3 (10.3)	68 (25.1)	0.07
Smoking		2 (6.9)	35 (12.9)	0.34
Time duration of exposure to sunlight per day	≤ 3 hours	27 (93.1)	131 (48.3)	< 0.001
	>3 hours	2 (6.9)	140 (51.7)
Nutritional status	Satisfactory	13 (44.8)	93 (34.3)	0.26
	Unsatisfactory	16 (55.2)	178 (65.7)
Usage of walking aids		15 (51.7)	16 (5.9)	< 0.001
Use of spectacles		15 (51.7)	129 (47.6)	0.67
Environmental factors
Floor material	Cement/tile	28 (96.6)	259 (95.6)	0.80
	Other	1 (3.4)	12 (4.4)
Light source of the house	Electricity	28 (96.6)	262 (96.7)	0.97
	Other	1 (3.4)	9 (3.3)
Water source	Inside home	22 (75.9)	234 (86.3)	0.12
	Outside home	7 (24.1)	37 (13.7)
Socioeconomic factors
Level of education	Grade 5 or below	17 (58.6)	99 (36.5)	0.02
	Beyond grade 5	12 (41.4)	172 (63.5)
Living arrangement	With spouse or children	27 (93.1)	241 (88.9)	0.48
	Alone	2 ( 6.9)	30 (11.1)
Monthly income; (Sri Lankan Rupees)	< 20000	28 (96.6)	253 (93.4)	0.50
	20000 or more	1 ( 3.4)	18 (6.6)