Body shape, fear of falling, physical performance, and falls among individuals aged 55 years and above

Sheng Hui Kioh; Sumaiyah Mat; Shahrul B Kamaruzzaman; Fatimah Ibrahim; Mas Sahidayana Mokhtar; Noran N Hairi; Robert G Cumming; Phyo Kyaw Myint; Maw Pin Tan; MELoR investigators

doi:10.1007/s41999-019-00220-1

Body shape, fear of falling, physical performance, and falls among individuals aged 55 years and above

Eur Geriatr Med. 2019 Oct;10(5):801-808. doi: 10.1007/s41999-019-00220-1. Epub 2019 Jul 29.

Authors

Sheng Hui Kioh^{1

2}, Sumaiyah Mat¹, Shahrul B Kamaruzzaman^{1

3}, Fatimah Ibrahim^{4

5

6}, Mas Sahidayana Mokhtar^{4

5}, Noran N Hairi⁷, Robert G Cumming⁸, Phyo Kyaw Myint², Maw Pin Tan^{9

10

11

12}; MELoR investigators

Affiliations

¹ Ageing and Age-Associated Disorders Research Group, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
² Ageing Clinical & Experimental Research Team, Institute of Applied Health Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, UK.
³ Division of Geriatric Medicine, Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
⁴ Centre for Innovations in Medical Engineering, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
⁵ Department of Biomedical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
⁶ Centre of Innovation and Commercialization, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
⁷ Centre for Clinical Epidemiology, Department of Social and Preventive Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
⁸ School of Public Health, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia.
⁹ Ageing and Age-Associated Disorders Research Group, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. mptan@ummc.edu.my.
¹⁰ Division of Geriatric Medicine, Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. mptan@ummc.edu.my.
¹¹ Centre for Innovations in Medical Engineering, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. mptan@ummc.edu.my.
¹² Department of Medical Sciences, School of Healthcare and Medical Sciences, Sunway University, Bandar Sunway, Malaysia. mptan@ummc.edu.my.

PMID: 34652702
DOI: 10.1007/s41999-019-00220-1

Abstract

Purpose: To evaluate the relationship between waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) and fall-related outcomes in community-dwelling individuals aged 55 and above.

Methods: Cross-sectional data obtained from the first wave of the Malaysian Elders Longitudinal Research (MELoR) study were utilized for this study. Participants aged 55 years and over were recruited using simple random sampling from the electoral rolls of three local parliamentary constituencies. Socio-demographics, falls history and medical history were obtained through home-based computer-assisted interviews while anthropometric measurements, including WHR, and physical performance were obtained during hospital-based health checks. WHR was categorized into three arbitrary categories stratified by gender.

Results: Data on both falls and WHR were available for 1335 participants, mean age ± standard deviation (SD) = 68.4 ± 7.1 years. Logistic regression analyses using dummy variables revealed that individuals within the higher WHR group were significantly more likely to report a history of fall in the preceding 12 months {adjusted odds ratio (aOR) [95% confidence interval (CI)] = 1.78 (1.18-2.67)}, fear of falling [aOR (95% CI) = 1.58 (1.08-2.32)], impaired timed-up-and-go [2.14 (1.44-3.17)] and reduced functional reach [1.68 (1.18-2.38)] compared to those with lower WHR. A higher WHR remained independently associated with increased risk of falls compared to those with lower WHR after additional adjustment for fear of falling and functional performance.

Conclusion: Our finding suggests WHR as an independent risk factor for higher risk of fall which may indicate body shape as a potentially modifiable risk factor for falls in adults in aged 55 years and over.

Keywords: Accidental falls; Aged; Hip circumference; Obesity; Waist circumference.

Abstract

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