A prospective study on the variation in falling and fall risk among community-dwelling older citizens in 12 European countries.

ABSTRACT:

Objectives

The rate of falling among older citizens appears to vary across different countries, but the underlying aspects causing this variation are unexplained. We aim to describe between-country variation in falling and explore whether intrinsic fall risk factors can explain possible variation.

Design

Prospective study on data from the cross-national Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE).

Setting

Twelve European countries (Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, France, Germany, Italy, The Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland).

Participants

Community-dwelling persons aged ≥65 years (n=18 596).

Measurements

Socio-demographic factors (age, gender, education level and living situation) and intrinsic fall risk factors (l

SUBMITTER: Franse CB 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5726118 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature