title: Gender differences in physical activity patterns among older adults who fall.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study describes gender differences in the level and pattern of physical activity in groups of older adults who were frequent fallers, intermittent fallers, or non-fallers.
  
  
  METHODS
  Interviews were conducted with adults aged 50 years and older (N=1834) at senior centers across Pennsylvania from 2010 to 2011. Self-reported falls and validated measures of physical activity were collected at baseline and at 6- and 12-month follow-up assessments.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Complete follow-up data were available for 1487 participants. Men who fell frequently decreased in recreational/leisure activity and household/yard work compared to the intermittent fallers and non-fallers. This association remained even when controlling for baseline health status. All women-regardless of fall group-engaged in similar levels of recreational/leisure activity and household/yard work over time. For both men and women, frequent fallers also showed a greater decrease in walking activities compared to intermittent fallers and non-fallers.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Frequent falling among older adults is associated with declines in common leisure, household, and walking activities. The effect of falling frequency on physical activity appears to affect men and women differently, generating the hypothesis that interventions to promote physical activity among fallers need to be gender specific.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, United States; University Center for Social and Urban Research, University of Pittsburgh, United States. Electronic address: STS80@pitt.edu.
authors.forename: Sarah T
authors.initials: ST
authors.lastname: Stahl
authors.affiliation: Department of Behavioral and Community Health Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, United States.
authors.forename: Steven M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Albert
mesh_terms: D000058:Accidental Falls / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D002908:Chronic Disease / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D003863:Depression / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D015444:Exercise / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D015438:Health Behavior; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009043:Motor Activity; D010414:Pennsylvania / Q000453:epidemiology; D011998:Recreation; D017678:Sex Distribution; D018434:Sickness Impact Profile; D016138:Walking / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data
keywords: Elderly; Falls; Frequent fallers; Gender differences; Physical activity