title: Risk factors for falls in a longitudinal population-based cohort study of Japanese men and women: the ROAD Study.
abstract: The objective of this study was to clarify the associations of physical performance and bone and joint diseases with single and multiple falls in Japanese men and women using a population-based longitudinal cohort study known as Research on Osteoarthritis/osteoporosis Against Disability (ROAD). A total of 452 men and 896 women were analyzed in the present study (mean age, 63.9 years). A questionnaire was used to assess the number of falls during the 3-year follow-up. Grip strength, 6-m walking time, and chair stand time were measured at baseline. Knee osteoarthritis (OA) and lumbar spondylosis were defined as Kellgren Lawrence=2, 3 or 4. Vertebral fracture (VFx) was assessed with the Japanese Society of Bone and Mineral Research criteria. Osteoporosis was defined by bone mineral density using dual energy X-ray absorptiometry based on World Health Organization criteria. Knee and lower back pain were estimated by an interview. During a 3-year follow-up, 79 (17.4%) men and 216 (24.1%) women reported at least one fall, and 54 (11.9%) men and 111 (12.4%) women reported multiple falls. Knee pain was a risk factor for multiple falls in women, but not in men. VFx tended to be associated with multiple falls in women, but not in men. A longer 6-m walking time was a risk factor for multiple falls in women, whereas a longer chair stand time was a risk factor for multiple falls in men. We found gender differences in risk factors for falls.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Motor System Medicine, 22nd Century Medical and Research Center, Faculty of Medicine, University of Tokyo, 7-3-1, Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8655, Japan. murakis-ort@h.u-tokyo.ac.jp
authors.forename: Shigeyuki
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Muraki
authors.forename: Toru
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Akune
authors.forename: Yuyu
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ishimoto
authors.forename: Keiji
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Nagata
authors.forename: Munehito
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Yoshida
authors.forename: Sakae
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Tanaka
authors.forename: Hiroyuki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Oka
authors.forename: Hiroshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kawaguchi
authors.forename: Kozo
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Nakamura
authors.forename: Noriko
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Yoshimura
mesh_terms: D000058:Accidental Falls; D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011159:Population Surveillance; D012307:Risk Factors; D055815:Young Adult