title: Connection between competence, usability, environment and risk of falls in elderly adults.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine connections between competence, usability, environment and risk of falls in elderly adults.
  
  
  METHODS
  Correlational descriptive study, 123 elderly adults, both male and female, aged 70 years and older were included. Data was collected via the Tinetti Scale, CESD-7 Scale, Montreal Cognitive Assessment, Usability Questionnaire on Housing and Housing Enabler; and sociodemographic and health background certificate data. For data analysis, descriptive and inferential statistics were used, multivariate linear and logistic regression models were adjusted.
  
  
  RESULTS
  42.0% of the elderly adults had presented with falls, with a higher prevalence in women, and in the group of 70-75 years. The physical environment of the house, gait, and usability were set as risk factors for falls. A negative relationship between usability and depressive symptoms, cognitive health, balance, gait, the social and physical environment was found, p <0.05; and a strong positive correlation between walking and balance, p <0.05.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study helps to better understand the phenomenon of falling, to find a connection between usability with the risk of falls, and other variables.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Enfermería, Facultad Ciencias de la Salud y de los Alimentos, Universidad del Bío-Bío, Chillán, Chile.
authors.forename: José Alex
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Leiva-Caro
authors.affiliation: Facultad de Enfermería, Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León, San Nicolás de los Garza, NL, Mexico.
authors.forename: Bertha Cecilia
authors.initials: BC
authors.lastname: Salazar-González
authors.affiliation: Facultad de Enfermería, Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León, San Nicolás de los Garza, NL, Mexico.
authors.forename: Esther Carlota
authors.initials: EC
authors.lastname: Gallegos-Cabriales
authors.affiliation: Facultad de Economía, Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León, San Nicolás de los Garza, NL, Mexico.
authors.forename: Marco Vinicio
authors.initials: MV
authors.lastname: Gómez-Meza
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Nursing, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada.
authors.forename: Kathleen F
authors.initials: KF
authors.lastname: Hunter
mesh_terms: D000058:Accidental Falls; D000368:Aged; D003071:Cognition; D004777:Environment; D005260:Female; D005684:Gait; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D004856:Postural Balance; D012307:Risk Factors; D012931:Social Environment; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D016138:Walking