title: Fall-associated difficulty with activities of daily living in functionally independent individuals aged 65 to 69 in the United States: a cohort study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine whether falling would be a marker for future difficulty with activities of daily (ADLs) that would vary according to fall frequency and associated injury.
  
  
  METHODS
  Longitudinal analysis.
  
  
  METHODS
  Community.
  
  
  METHODS
  Nationally representative cohort of 2,020 community-living, functionally independent older adults aged 65 to 69 at baseline followed from 1998 to 2008.
  
  
  METHODS
  ADL difficulty.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Experiencing one fall with injury (odds ratio (OR) = 1.78, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.29-2.48), at least two falls without injury (OR = 2.36, 95% CI = 1.80-3.09), or at least two falls with at least one injury (OR = 3.75, 95% CI = 2.55-5.53) in the prior 2 years was independently associated with higher rates of ADL difficulty after adjustment for sociodemographic, behavioral, and clinical covariates.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Falling is an important marker for future ADL difficulty in younger, functionally independent older adults. Individuals who fall frequently or report injury are at highest risk.
authors: Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Clinical Scholars Program, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, USA. nishants@umich.edu
authors: Nishant K
authors: NK
authors: Sekaran
authors: Hwajung
authors: H
authors: Choi
authors: Rodney A
authors: RA
authors: Hayward
authors: Kenneth M
authors: KM
authors: Langa
mesh_terms: D000058:Accidental Falls; D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000368:Aged; D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology*; D004185:Disability Evaluation; D006233:Persons with Disabilities / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D015577:Geriatric Assessment / Q000379:methods*; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D016017:Odds Ratio; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D014947:Wounds and Injuries / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology / Q000534:rehabilitation