Assessment of Fear of Falling and its Relation to Balance in Elderly People of Urmia

Falling is a serious problem in the elderly population and one of its complications is fear of falling. Fear of falling is one of the threatening factors of elderly health. This study aimed to investigate fear of falling and its relationship with balance in elderly in Urmia.

This is a descriptive-analytic study that 200 elderly people were selected by random cluster sampling. Required data were collected using a two-part questionnaire including demographic information and Self-efficacy Fear Questionnaire. Data were analyzed using logistic regression test in SPSS v.21.

The results showed that 52.5%, 27.5%, 20% of the elderly had moderate, severe, mild fear of falling, respectively. Results of logistic regression showed age (OR = 2.1, p = .04), female (OR = 1.4, p = .02), living alone (OR = 1.8, p = .05), history of falling (OR = 1.9, p = .008), low balance (OR = 4.1, p = .001), increases the likelihood of fear of falling in elderly.

The findings of this study showed that the level of fear of falling in the elderly is relatively high and appropriate and effective preventive interventions should be carried out according to the factors in the fear of falling in the elderly.