title: Prevalence of falls and risk factors in adults with intellectual disability.
abstract: The purpose of this study was to examine the prevalence of falls and risk factors for falls in 1,515 adults (≥ 18 years) with intellectual disability using baseline data from the Longitudinal Health and Intellectual Disability Study. Nearly 25% of adults from the study were reported to have had one or more falls in the past 12 months. The prevalence of falls increased with advancing age. A series of univariate and multivariate logistic regressions were performed to identify risk factors for falls in the full sample and in subsamples. The risk factors for falls in adults with intellectual disability are being female, having arthritis, having a seizure disorder, taking more than 4 medications, using walking aids, and having difficulty lifting/carrying greater than 10 lb.
authors.affiliation: University of Illinois, Chicago, IL, USA. hsieh@uic.edu
authors.forename: Kelly
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hsieh
authors.forename: James
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Rimmer
authors.forename: Tamar
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Heller
mesh_terms: D000058:Accidental Falls / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002547:Cerebral Palsy / Q000150:complications; D003627:Data Interpretation, Statistical; D003710:Demography; D004314:Down Syndrome / Q000150:complications; D004777:Environment; D005260:Female; D015438:Health Behavior; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D008607:Intellectual Disability / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009043:Motor Activity; D012307:Risk Factors; D012640:Seizures / Q000150:complications; D012931:Social Environment; D055815:Young Adult