Article

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the association between habitual exercise and fear of
falling in an older Korean population. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study conducted in
a population-based sample of an urban city. SETTING:
Urban city in South Korea.
PARTICIPANTS: Randomly sampled older Korean people (N=828; aged >/=65y) living in
a typical urban city located in South Korea. INTERVENTION: Standardized telephone
interview. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Data on exercise habits, history of falls
during the previous year, and fear of falling were obtained using a random digit
dialing telephone survey method. Multiple linear regression and multiple logistic
regression analyses were used to examine the association between exercise habits
and the fear of falling. RESULTS: The incidence of falls in the study cohort was
13%, and the prevalence of the fear of falling was 67.4% (47.6% in men and 80.8%
in women). About 30% of those that expressed a fear of falling stated that this
was the cause of their limited activity. Older men and women who exercised
regularly showed a similar level of fear of falling, but they were less likely to
experience fear-related activity restriction than nonexercisers. CONCLUSIONS: A
regular exercise habit was found to be inversely associated with fear-related
activity restriction regardless of fall experience among older Korean men and women.
CI - Copyright (c) 2011 American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine. Published by
Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Langue : ANGLAIS