Falls in Mexican older adults aged 60 years and older.

BACKGROUND: Falls are a major cause of disability, morbidity, institutionalization, and mortality in older adults.

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of the study was to examine the risk factors for falls among Mexican older adults aged 60 years and older.

METHODS: This study included 6247 participants and their spouse or partner aged 60 years and older from the Mexican Health and Aging Study, an ongoing longitudinal study (2001-2012) conducted in Mexico. Measures included socio-demographics, falls, physical activity, comorbid conditions, pain, vertigo, vision and hearing impairments, urinary incontinence, lower extremity functional limitation, activities of daily living (ADLs), cognitive function, and depressive symptoms.

RESULTS: Mean age was 69.6 years (standard error = 0.18) and 51.8% were female. Forty percent reported one or more falls at baseline. Older age, being female, obesity, arthritis, fractures, stroke, suffering pain, vertigo, lower extremity functional limitations, physical activity, depressive symptoms, urinary incontinence, and ADL disability were significant factors associated with one or more falls over time.

DISCUSSION: Early detection and treatment of the risk factors for falls in this population will help improve the quality of life and reduce medical complications and health care costs.