title: Relationship Between Kyphotic Posture and Falls in Community-Dwelling Men and Women: The Locomotive Syndrome and Health Outcome in Aizu Cohort Study.
abstract: METHODS
  A cohort study using data from the Locomotive Syndrome and Health Outcome in Aizu Cohort Study, a population-based prospective cohort study of residents of the towns of Tadami and Minamiaizu in Fukushima Prefecture, Japan.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this study was to clarify the association between kyphotic posture and falls, and to investigate the presence or absence of sex differences.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  In our literature review, we found no studies focusing on sex differences in the association between kyphotic posture and falls.
  
  
  METHODS
  We included subjects aged more than 40 years who participated in annual health check-ups from 2009 to 2010. We analyzed the effects of kyphotic posture, measured using the wall-occiput test (WOT), on falls, adjusting for potential confounders, such as age, body mass index, symptoms of depression, sedative medication, and other comorbidities.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We enrolled a total of 1418 subjects into primary analyses (593 men, 825 women; mean [standard deviation] age, 68.1 [7.7] yrs). We then stratified subjects into the following groups according to the degree of kyphotic posture: nonkyphotic posture (n = 1138, 80.3%), mild kyphotic posture (n = 172, 12.1%), and severe kyphotic posture (n = 108, 7.6%). We observed no significant difference in the severity of kyphotic posture between men and women (P = 0.18). Overall, 284 subjects (20.0%) experienced at least one fall during the one-year period. After adjustment for potential confounders using a logistic regression model, we observed a significant association between severe kyphotic posture and falls for men [odds ratio (OR) 2.14 (1.01-4.57); P = 0.048]. In contrast, we observed no significant association for women [OR for severe kyphotic posture 0.80 (0.43-1.50), OR for mild kyphotic posture 0.91 (0.53-1.57)].
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We identified a sex difference in the association between kyphotic posture and falls in community-dwelling adults. In particular, severe kyphotic posture might only increase the incidence of falls in men.
  
  
  METHODS
  3.
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, School of Medicine, Fukushima Medical University.
authors.forename: Ryoji
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Tominaga
authors.affiliation: Department of Healthcare Epidemiology, Kyoto University School of Public Health.|Center for Innovative Research for Communities and Clinical Excellence (CIRCLE), Fukushima Medical University.
authors.forename: Shingo
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Fukuma
authors.affiliation: Department of Healthcare Epidemiology, Kyoto University School of Public Health.|Center for Environmental Health Science, National Institute for Environmental Studies, Tsukuba, Japan.
authors.forename: Shin
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Yamazaki
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, School of Medicine, Fukushima Medical University.
authors.forename: Miho
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sekiguchi
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, School of Medicine, Fukushima Medical University.
authors.forename: Koji
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Otani
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, School of Medicine, Fukushima Medical University.
authors.forename: Shin-Ichi
authors.initials: SI
authors.lastname: Kikuchi
authors.affiliation: Center for Innovative Research for Communities and Clinical Excellence (CIRCLE), Fukushima Medical University.
authors.forename: Sho
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sasaki
authors.affiliation: Center for Innovative Research for Communities and Clinical Excellence (CIRCLE), Fukushima Medical University.
authors.forename: Susumu
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kobayashi
authors.affiliation: Department of Healthcare Epidemiology, Kyoto University School of Public Health.|Center for Innovative Research for Communities and Clinical Excellence (CIRCLE), Fukushima Medical University.
authors.forename: Shunichi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Fukuhara
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, School of Medicine, Fukushima Medical University.
authors.forename: Shin-Ichi
authors.initials: SI
authors.lastname: Konno
mesh_terms: D000058:Accidental Falls / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D015897:Comorbidity; D003863:Depression / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D020233:Gait Disorders, Neurologic / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D057187:Independent Living; D007564:Japan; D007738:Kyphosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D008124:Locomotion / Q000502:physiology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011187:Posture / Q000502:physiology*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D012727:Sex Characteristics