title: Predicting falls in elderly receiving home care: the role of malnutrition and impaired mobility.
abstract: To investigate the role of malnutrition, impaired mobility and care dependency in predicting fallers in older Dutch home care clients.
  
  
  METHODS
  This study is a secondary analysis of data of the annual independent national prevalence measurement of care problems of Maastricht University. The design involves a cross-sectional, multicentre point prevalence measurement (malnutrition, mobility), and a 30 days incidence measurement (falls).
  
  
  METHODS
  Dutch home care organisations.
  
  
  METHODS
  2971 clients (older than 65 years) from 22 home care organizations participated.
  
  
  METHODS
  A standardized questionnaire was used to register amongst others data of weight, height, number and type of diseases (like for example neurologic diseases, dementia, CVA, COPD, eye/ear disorders, musculoskeletal disorders), nutritional intake, use of psychopharmaca, undesired weight loss, fall history, mobility, and care dependency.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The study was able to show that fallers are more often malnourished than non-fallers in the univariate analysis. Most importantly the study indicated by multivariate analysis that fallers could be predicted by the risk factors immobility ((OR 2.516 95% CI 1.144-5.532), high care dependency (OR 1.684 95% CI 1.121-2.532) and malnutrition (OR 1.978 95% CI 1.340-2.920).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The findings of this study stress that malnutrition, impaired mobility and care dependency are potential reversible factors related to falls. Therefore early identification and management of nutritional status, impaired mobility and care dependency are important aspects for a possible fall prevention strategy.
authors: Maastricht University, Health Services Research, CAPHRI, Maastricht, 6200 MD, The Netherlands. j.meijers@maastrichtuniversity.nl
authors: J M
authors: JM
authors: Meijers
authors: R J
authors: RJ
authors: Halfens
authors: J C
authors: JC
authors: Neyens
authors: Y C
authors: YC
authors: Luiking
authors: G
authors: G
authors: Verlaan
authors: J M
authors: JM
authors: Schols
mesh_terms: D000058:Accidental Falls / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003704:Dementia / Q000150:complications / Q000503:physiopathology; D005260:Female; D015577:Geriatric Assessment / Q000379:methods; D006699:Home Care Services; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D044342:Malnutrition / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D051346:Mobility Limitation; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D009426:Netherlands / Q000453:epidemiology; D015596:Nutrition Assessment; D009752:Nutritional Status; D015995:Prevalence; D029424:Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive / Q000150:complications / Q000503:physiopathology; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012307:Risk Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D015431:Weight Loss