title: Risk factors for falling among community-dwelling veterans and their caregivers.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess the prevalence and strength of association of risk factors for falling in Canadian veterans of World War II and Korea and their caregivers.
  
  
  METHODS
  Questionnaires were sent to addresses of 3,000 Canadian veterans (response rate(1/4)70%). Risk factors for falls and the frequency of falls and injurious falls in the past 12 months were collected.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Veterans had more risk factors than did caregivers, and more had fallen in the past year (39.8% vs. 29.7%). Risk factors in the logistic model for veterans included lower extremity disability (odds ratio 1.98, 95% confidence interval 1.5-2.6); lower extremity weakness (OR 1.75, 95% CI 1.3-2.3); worse memory than peers (OR 1.67, 95% CI 1.1-2.5); one or more visits to the family doctor in the past month (OR 1.53, 95% CI 1.2-2.0); and worse memory than 5 years ago (OR 1.36, 95% CI 1.0-1.8).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Veterans appear more frail and prone to falling than their caregivers.
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, K201 Kresge Building, University of Western Ontario, London, ON, N6A 5C1, Canada. speechly@uwo.ca
authors.forename: Mark
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Speechley
authors.forename: Shannon
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Belfry
authors.forename: Michael J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Borrie
authors.forename: Krista Bray
authors.initials: KB
authors.lastname: Jenkyn
authors.forename: Richard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Crilly
authors.forename: Dawn P
authors.initials: DP
authors.lastname: Gill
authors.forename: Sarena
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: McLean
authors.forename: Paul
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Stolee
authors.forename: Anthony A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Vandervoort
authors.forename: Gareth R
authors.initials: GR
authors.lastname: Jones
mesh_terms: D000058:Accidental Falls / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002170:Canada; D017028:Caregivers / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004185:Disability Evaluation; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D035002:Lower Extremity / Q000503:physiopathology; D008297:Male; D008569:Memory Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology; D018908:Muscle Weakness / Q000503:physiopathology; D009819:Office Visits / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D004856:Postural Balance; D012307:Risk Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014728:Veterans / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*