The relationship between time spent outdoors, falls, and fall-risk among the community-dwelling elderly in rural Japan.
Falls are a major health concern among the older adults, and physical activity has been linked to fall-risk. This cross-sectional study aimed to identify the relationship between time spent outdoors and the frequency of falls and fall-risk among the older adults in two rural Japanese communities. In Okikamuro, there was a positive correlation between fall-risk and age (r = 0.40, p < 0.001), as well as a slight negative correlation between the time spent outdoors and fall-risk (r = -0.20, p < 0.05). In Iwasaki, there was no correlation between fall-risk and age nor between fall-risk and the time spent outdoors; however, fall-risk was significantly higher in Iwasaki (p < 0.05) than Okikamuro and the time spent outdoors during winter was significantly less (p < .001).
Kanzaki-Sooudi
Kazuyo
K
Sapporo City University, Sapporo-City, Hokkaido, Japan. k.sooudi@scu.ac.jp
D000058:Accidental Falls / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D015577:Geriatric Assessment; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D007564:Japan / Q000453:epidemiology; D008019:Life Style; D008297:Male; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012307:Risk Factors; D012424:Rural Population; D012621:Seasons