title: Sex-specific association between obesity and self-reported falls and injuries among community-dwelling Canadians aged 65 years and older.
abstract: This study investigated the relationship between body mass index (BMI) and falls among community-dwelling elderly. Results indicate that obesity is associated with increased falls and there appears to be a sex-specific difference with obese men at higher risk of falling. Obesity is identified as a risk factor for falls in men.
  
  
  
  The prevalence of falls, fall-related injuries, and obesity has increased over the last decade. The objectives of this study were to investigate sex-specific association and dose-response relationship between BMI and falls (and related injuries) among community-dwelling elderly.
  
  
  
  Our study sample consisted of 15,860 adults aged 65 years or older (6399 men and 9461 women) from the 2008-2009 Canadian Community Health Survey-Healthy Aging (CCHS-HA). Falls, fall-related injuries, and BMI measures were self-reported. For both sex, dose-response curves presenting the relationship between BMI, falls, and fall-related injuries were first examined. Thereafter, multivariate logistic regression analyses were also performed to investigate these relationships after adjustment for potentially confounding variables.
  
  
  
  Of women, 21.7 % reported a fall and 16.9 % of men. The dose-response relationship between BMI and prevalence of falls showed that underweight and obese individuals reported falling more than normal and overweight individuals; this being more apparent in men than women. Finally, the dose relationship between BMI and prevalence of fall-related injuries showed that only obese men seem more likely to have sustained a fall-related injury. Results from the multivariate analysis showed that obesity in men was significantly associated with higher odds of falling odds ratio (OR) 1.33 (1.04-1.70) and was not significantly associated with higher odds of fall-related injuries OR 1.10 (0.66-1.84) over a 12-month period compared to normal weight men. For women, obesity was not significantly associated with higher fall prevalence OR 0.99 (0.79-1.25) and fall-related injuries OR 0.71 (0.51-1.00).
  
  
  
  Obesity is associated with self-reported falls, and there appears to be a sex-specific difference in elderly persons.
authors: School of Kinesiology and Leisure, Université de Moncton, Moncton, NB, Canada. grant.handrigan@umoncton.ca.
authors: G A
authors: GA
authors: Handrigan
authors: School of Kinesiology and Leisure, Université de Moncton, Moncton, NB, Canada.
authors: N
authors: N
authors: Maltais
authors: Institut National Santé Publique Québec, Québec, QC, Canada.
authors: M
authors: M
authors: Gagné
authors: Institut National Santé Publique Québec, Québec, QC, Canada.
authors: P
authors: P
authors: Lamontagne
authors: Institut National Santé Publique Québec, Québec, QC, Canada.
authors: D
authors: D
authors: Hamel
authors: Department of Kinesiology, Université Laval, Québec, QC, Canada.
authors: N
authors: N
authors: Teasdale
authors: Department of Science of Physical Activity, Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières, Trois-Rivières, QC, Canada.
authors: O
authors: O
authors: Hue
authors: Department of Kinesiology, Université Laval, Québec, QC, Canada.
authors: P
authors: P
authors: Corbeil
authors: Department of Medicine, Université Laval, Québec, QC, Canada.
authors: J P
authors: JP
authors: Brown
authors: Institut National Santé Publique Québec, Québec, QC, Canada.|Department of Medicine, Université Laval, Québec, QC, Canada.|Department of Medicine, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, QC, Canada.
authors: S
authors: S
authors: Jean
mesh_terms: D000058:Accidental Falls / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D017677:Age Distribution; D000368:Aged; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002170:Canada / Q000453:epidemiology; D015897:Comorbidity; D003695:Delivery of Health Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D057187:Independent Living; D008297:Male; D009765:Obesity / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D015995:Prevalence; D057566:Self Report; D017678:Sex Distribution; D014947:Wounds and Injuries / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology
keywords: Elderly; Falling; Injury; Obesity