A prospective study of the relationship between feared consequences of falling and avoidance of activity in community-living older people
A prospective study of the relationship between feared consequences of falling and avoidance of activity in community-living older people
Purpose: To identify the most common beliefs concerning the negative consequences of falling and determine whether these motivate avoidance of activity.
Design and Methods: A questionnaire assessing feared consequences of falling was completed by 224 community-living people aged older than 75. Beliefs about the consequences of falling were related to demographic characteristics, falling history, and avoidance of activity. The questionnaires were completed again by 166 participants 6 months later.
Results: Commonly feared consequences of falling were loss of functional independence and damage to identity. These fears were correlated with avoidance of activity (after adjusting for age, sex, and recent falling history) and predicted avoidance in activity 6 months later (after adjusting for baseline levels of avoidance).
Implications: Concerns about damage to social identity, as well as functional incapacity, are common and may motivate avoidance of activity.
falls, disability, elderly, adl, anxiety
17-23
Yardley, Lucy
64be42c4-511d-484d-abaa-f8813452a22e
Smith, Helen
e9ebdc59-6964-49b5-a2cd-b76d58ab77e1
February 2002
Yardley, Lucy
64be42c4-511d-484d-abaa-f8813452a22e
Smith, Helen
e9ebdc59-6964-49b5-a2cd-b76d58ab77e1
Yardley, Lucy and Smith, Helen
(2002)
A prospective study of the relationship between feared consequences of falling and avoidance of activity in community-living older people.
The Gerontologist, 42 (1), .
(doi:10.1093/geront/42.1.17).
(PMID:11815695)
Abstract
Purpose: To identify the most common beliefs concerning the negative consequences of falling and determine whether these motivate avoidance of activity.
Design and Methods: A questionnaire assessing feared consequences of falling was completed by 224 community-living people aged older than 75. Beliefs about the consequences of falling were related to demographic characteristics, falling history, and avoidance of activity. The questionnaires were completed again by 166 participants 6 months later.
Results: Commonly feared consequences of falling were loss of functional independence and damage to identity. These fears were correlated with avoidance of activity (after adjusting for age, sex, and recent falling history) and predicted avoidance in activity 6 months later (after adjusting for baseline levels of avoidance).
Implications: Concerns about damage to social identity, as well as functional incapacity, are common and may motivate avoidance of activity.
More information
Published date: February 2002
Keywords:
falls, disability, elderly, adl, anxiety
Identifiers
Local EPrints ID: 18458
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/18458
ISSN: 0016-9013
PURE UUID: 6d25876f-15bd-4c71-9b52-823bed6cbcda
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Date deposited: 16 Dec 2005
Last modified: 16 Mar 2024 03:02
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Author:
Helen Smith
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