Fall Attributions among Middle Aged and Older Adults with Multiple Sclerosis

Publication year: 2012
Source:Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation

Elizabeth W. Peterson, Eynat Ben Ari, Miho Asano, Marcia L. Finlayson

Objectives (1) To explore the falls attributions of middle aged and older adults with multiple sclerosis (MS), and (2) to examine the personal, health and MS-related factors associated with the three most common attributions. Design This was a cross-sectional, descriptive study using data collected through a telephone interview. Falls attributions were obtained through an open-ended question to elicit participants’ stories about their most recent fall. Setting United States Participants Recruitment was done through a national volunteer MS registry. Three hundred and fifty-four people who were ≥55 years of age were interviewed; 313 provided a falls story. Respondents were primarily married, community-dwelling women who had been living with MS for 21 years, on average. Intervention Not applicable Main outcome measure The three most common fall attributions were used as dependent variables to address the second research objective. Results A total of 14 falls attributions were identified. The most common were balance (41.5%), lower extremity malfunction (31.0%) and assistive technology (AT) (29.7%). Falls control was significantly associated with the balance attribution (OR = 0.51, CI = 0.29-0.88), no variables were associated with lower extremity malfunction attribution, and use of multiple mobility devices was significantly associated with the AT attribution (OR = 3.78, 95% CI = 2.09-6.85) Conclusion Findings highlight the complex nature of falls among middle-aged and older adults with MS and point to the need for comprehensive fall prevention interventions for this population. Further investigation of the role that perceived control over falls plays in this population is warranted.

Source: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=GatewayURL&_origin=IRSSSEARCH&_method=citationSearch&_piikey=S0003999312011884&_version=1&md5=da7aef1bfde28b07a015281937d9660a

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