Factors associated with falls in active older adults in Japan and Brazil

Background/Purpose: Aging populations are a global public health concern. The risk of falls increases with age, so fall prevention is becoming an important health issue. However, few studies have focused on cross-cultural analyses of falls. Therefore, we aimed to compare the incidence of falls and compare anthropometric measures and physical function between active Japanese and Brazilian older adults. Materials and methods: We measured the incidence of falls (investigated by self-reported questionnaire), body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), grip strength (GS), one-legged stance (BALANCE), frequency of physical activity (PA), medication use (MU), and hospitalization history in 114 physically active community-dwelling adults 65 years of age and older in Japan (73.9 � 4.0 years, n ¼ 40) and Brazil (70.7 � 4.5 years, n ¼ 74). Results: The Japanese elderly were older (p < 0.01), but had a better BALANCE score (p < 0.05) than the Brazilian elderly. Nevertheless, Brazilian elderly showed higher engagement in PA and had higher BMI and WC (p < 0.01). Despite the lack of a difference in the incidence of falls between the two cohorts, Japanese elderly who fell had decreased GS compared to Japanese elderly who did not fall [odds ratio (OR): 0.83, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.72e0.97, p < 0.05]. In Brazil, those who fell had larger WC than those who did not fall (OR: 1.07, 95% CI 1.01 e 1.13, p < 0.01). Conclusion: Our results indicate that physical function (i.e., grip strength) is a more important predictor of falls in Japanese elderly. However, increasing waist size is a predictor of falls in Brazilian elderly. These findings suggest that risk factors for falls are multifactorial and vary according to setting. Copyright 2013, Asia Pacific League of Clinical Gerontology & Geriatrics. Published by Elsevier Taiwan LLC.