title: Obesity and Falls in a Prospective Study of Older Men: The Osteoporotic Fractures in Men Study.
abstract: The aim of this study is to evaluate fall rates across body mass index (BMI) categories by age group, considering physical performance and comorbidities.
  
  
  
  In the Osteoporotic Fractures in Men (MrOS) study, 5,834 men aged ≥65 reported falls every 4 months over 4.8 (±0.8) years. Adjusted associations between BMI and an incident fall were tested using mixed-effects models.
  
  
  
  The fall rate (0.66/man-year overall, 95% confidence interval [CI] = [0.65, 0.67]) was lowest in the youngest, normal weight men (0.44/man-year, 95% CI = [0.41, 0.47]) and greatest in the oldest, highest BMI men (1.47 falls/man-year, 95% CI = [1.22, 1.76]). Obesity was associated with a 24% to 92% increased fall risk in men below 80 ( ptrend≤ .0001, p for interaction by age = .03). Only adjustment for dynamic balance test altered the BMI-falls association substantially.
  
  
  
  Obesity was independently associated with higher fall rates in men 65 to 80 years old. Narrow walk time, a measure of gait stability, may mediate the association.
authors.affiliation: 1 Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, USA.
authors.forename: Elizabeth R
authors.initials: ER
authors.lastname: Hooker
authors.affiliation: 1 Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, USA.|2 North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, Greensboro, USA.
authors.forename: Smriti
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Shrestha
authors.affiliation: 3 Portland Veterans Affairs Medical Center, OR, USA.
authors.forename: Christine G
authors.initials: CG
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: 4 California Pacific Medical Center Research Institute, San Francisco, USA.|5 University of California, San Francisco, USA.
authors.forename: Peggy M
authors.initials: PM
authors.lastname: Cawthon
authors.affiliation: 1 Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, USA.
authors.forename: Melanie
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Abrahamson
authors.affiliation: 6 University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, USA.
authors.forename: Kris
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ensrud
authors.affiliation: 7 Stanford University School of Medicine, CA, USA.
authors.forename: Marcia L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Stefanick
authors.affiliation: 8 Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY, USA.
authors.forename: Thuy-Tien
authors.initials: TT
authors.lastname: Dam
authors.affiliation: 1 Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, USA.
authors.forename: Lynn M
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Marshall
authors.affiliation: 1 Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, USA.
authors.forename: Eric S
authors.initials: ES
authors.lastname: Orwoll
authors.affiliation: 1 Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, USA.
authors.forename: Carrie M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Nielson
mesh_terms: D000058:Accidental Falls / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D015992:Body Mass Index; D015444:Exercise; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D057187:Independent Living; D008297:Male; D009765:Obesity; D058866:Osteoporotic Fractures / Q000453:epidemiology*; D055553:Prescription Drugs; D011446:Prospective Studies; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology
chemical_list: D055553:Prescription Drugs
keywords: BMI; falls; obesity