title: Prevalence and correlates of fear of falling among elderly population in urban area of Karnataka, India.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Falls are a major public health problem in the elderly population. Fear of falling (FOF) among elderly persons can compromise quality of life by limiting mobility, diminished sense of well-being and reduced social interactions. India is undergoing a demographic transitional phase with urban elderly population of 6.72% in 2001. The major challenge would be on the prevention of falls among them. Hence there is a need to highlight the problems related to fall faced by the elderly in India.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To study the prevalence of FOF and its correlates among the elderly population in urban area.
  
  
  METHODS
  250 elderly subjects above 60 years were randomly selected from urban area and interviewed for FOF using Short Fall Efficacy Scale-I (FES-I), history of falls and risk factors.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The prevalence of FOF among the elderly was 33.2%. The significant correlates of FOF were educational status, family type, associated health problems, history of fall in past 6 months, worried of fall again among fallers, fearfulness of fall again among fallers, restriction of daily activities and depression among them. The insignificant correlates were gender and socio-economic status.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  FOF is a health problem among the elderly living in urban India needs urgent attention. It represents a significant threat to socialization, independence and morbidity or mortality. Knowledge of correlates of FOF may be useful in developing multidimensional strategies to reduce it among elderly.
authors.affiliation: Department of Community Medicine, Smt. Kashibai Navale Medical College, Pune, Maharashtra, India.
authors.forename: Abhay B
authors.initials: AB
authors.lastname: Mane
authors.affiliation: MBBS Student, Navodaya Medical College, Raichur, Karnataka, India.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Sanjana
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology, Navodaya Medical College, Raichur, Karnataka, India.
authors.forename: Prabhakar R
authors.initials: PR
authors.lastname: Patil
authors.affiliation: Registrar, Navodaya Education Trust, Raichur, Karnataka, India.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Sriniwas
keywords: Correlates; elderly; fall prevention; fear of falling; prevalence