Risk Factors of Falls for Elderly in Taiwan: A Longitudinal Cohort Study

• Main Authors: Huang,Yu-Ting, 黃郁婷
• Other Authors: Wang,Jay
• Format: Others
• Language: zh-TW
• Published: 2011
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/61993011359138466769

碩士 === 長榮大學 === 醫務管理學系碩士班 === 99 === Background and purpose: Past studies on risk factors of falls in elderly in Taiwan mostly focused on specific cities or towns in remote areas. Very few studies used nationally-representative samples for study. Furthermore, most were cross-sectional design or used small sample for study and thus a causal relationship cannot be established. We used a nationally-representative sample of Taiwan to investigate the risk factors of occurrence and frequency of falls. Methods: Data for this longitudinal cohort study came from 1999 and 2003 waves of the Survey of Health and Living Status of the Elderly in Taiwan. Binary and multinomial logistic regression models were used for analyses. Results: Self-perceived health, bladder incontinence, mobility limitation, as well as number of chronic diseases are the risk factors of occurrence and frequency of falling. Conclusion: To reduce the risk of falling, government agencies and health care providers should improve elderly’s balance function, promote regular exercise, improve drug safety, and implement fall-prevention protocols.