title: Views and Expectations of Community-Dwelling Thai Elderly in Reporting Falls to Their Primary Care Physicians.
abstract: Fall among older adults is a concern in Thailand. The challenge for primary care physicians is to deliver effective interventions potentially adhered to by older people. This research employed a mixed-methods design to understand factors leading to fall reporting by community-dwelling Thai elders and their expectations regarding fall prevention education. Participants ( N = 305) who had fallen in the last year completed a questionnaire in the quantitative phase, and 50 of these were interviewed in-depth in the qualitative phase. Results revealed that only 39% reported their fall. Participants with comorbidities were 1.6 times more likely to report falling than those without (odds ratio = 1.61, confidence interval = [1.01, 2.58]). Post-fall pain (84%) was the strongest reason for reporting. Some participants believed that falling is an inevitable life event. It is crucial to encourage older adults to report falling, to provide targeted education, and to focus on improving the overall health status of older adults.
authors.affiliation: 1 Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand.
authors.forename: Chitima
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Boongird
authors.affiliation: 2 Kent State University, OH, USA.
authors.forename: Ratchneewan
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ross
mesh_terms: D000058:Accidental Falls / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging / Q000523:psychology*; D003863:Depression / Q000453:epidemiology; D004779:Environment Design; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010146:Pain / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D011320:Primary Health Care; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D036301:Qualitative Research; D012307:Risk Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013785:Thailand
keywords: Thailand; behavioral science; community-dwelling elderly; explanatory sequential mixed-methods study; fall prevention