TY - JOUR
T1 - Health Indicators Associated with Falls Among Middle-aged and Older Women Enrolled in an Evidence-Based Program
AU - Smith, Matthew Lee
AU - Jiang, Luohua
AU - Prizer, Lindsay P.
AU - Ahn, Sang Nam
AU - Chen, Shuai
AU - Cho, Jinmyoung
AU - Graham, Kathleen
AU - Ory, Marcia G.
N1 - Funding Information:
A Matter of Balance/Voluntary Lay Leader (AMOB/VLL) is a major program activity in the Aging Texas Well's Texas Healthy Lifestyles Initiative. Statewide implementation is supported by the Department of Aging and Disability Services and administered through the Texas Association of Area Agencies on Aging. The evaluation is conducted by the Texas A&M Health Science Center School of Rural Public Health. The authors recognize faculty support from The Center for Community Health Development which is a member of the Prevention Research Centers Program, supported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention cooperative agreement number 5U48 DP000045. The findings and conclusions in this article are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official position of Department of Aging and Disability Services or the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2014 Jacobs Institute of Women's Health.
PY - 2014/11/1
Y1 - 2014/11/1
N2 - Background: Evidence-based fall prevention programs primarily attract older women, who are increasingly burdened by fall-related injuries. However, little is known about the relationship between older female participants' baseline health status and self-reported falls over the course of fall prevention interventions. Using data from A Matter of Balance/Volunteer Lay Leader Model (AMOB/VLL) workshops, this study examines female participants' sociodemographics and health indicators associated with self-reported falls at baseline and postintervention. Methods: Data were analyzed from 837 older women (. M=76.2years) collected during the statewide AMOB/VLL dissemination in Texas. Longitudinal Poisson regression models, using the generalized estimating equation method, were used to investigate the associations of personal characteristics and health indicators with and reductions in the number of self-reported falls from baseline to postintervention. Findings: Approximately 21% of participants reported falling at baseline, and the number of reported falls significantly decreased from baseline to postintervention (. β=-0.443). At baseline, more unhealthy physical days (. β=0.022), more unhealthy mental days (. β=0.018), and lower Falls Efficacy Scale scores (. β=-0.052) were significantly associated with more falls reported at baseline. More falls at baseline was also associated with worse program attendance (. β=-0.069). Greater improvements in Falls Efficacy Scale Scores (. β=-0.069) and decreases in unhealthy physical health days (. β=0.026) over the course of the intervention were significantly associated with greater reductions in reported falls at postintervention, respectively. Conclusions: Findings have implications for identifying at-risk older women upon enrollment, expanding the reach of AMOB/VLL, and leveraging AMOB/VLL to refer participants to other evidence-based exercise, disease management, and mental health interventions.
AB - Background: Evidence-based fall prevention programs primarily attract older women, who are increasingly burdened by fall-related injuries. However, little is known about the relationship between older female participants' baseline health status and self-reported falls over the course of fall prevention interventions. Using data from A Matter of Balance/Volunteer Lay Leader Model (AMOB/VLL) workshops, this study examines female participants' sociodemographics and health indicators associated with self-reported falls at baseline and postintervention. Methods: Data were analyzed from 837 older women (. M=76.2years) collected during the statewide AMOB/VLL dissemination in Texas. Longitudinal Poisson regression models, using the generalized estimating equation method, were used to investigate the associations of personal characteristics and health indicators with and reductions in the number of self-reported falls from baseline to postintervention. Findings: Approximately 21% of participants reported falling at baseline, and the number of reported falls significantly decreased from baseline to postintervention (. β=-0.443). At baseline, more unhealthy physical days (. β=0.022), more unhealthy mental days (. β=0.018), and lower Falls Efficacy Scale scores (. β=-0.052) were significantly associated with more falls reported at baseline. More falls at baseline was also associated with worse program attendance (. β=-0.069). Greater improvements in Falls Efficacy Scale Scores (. β=-0.069) and decreases in unhealthy physical health days (. β=0.026) over the course of the intervention were significantly associated with greater reductions in reported falls at postintervention, respectively. Conclusions: Findings have implications for identifying at-risk older women upon enrollment, expanding the reach of AMOB/VLL, and leveraging AMOB/VLL to refer participants to other evidence-based exercise, disease management, and mental health interventions.
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U2 - 10.1016/j.whi.2014.08.004
DO - 10.1016/j.whi.2014.08.004
M3 - Article
C2 - 25442707
AN - SCOPUS:84910097962
VL - 24
SP - 613
EP - 619
JO - Women's Health Issues
JF - Women's Health Issues
SN - 1049-3867
IS - 6
ER -