Prevalence and risk factors for Falls among older adults in a primary care facility in Ghana

Falls are a serious problem and are among the leading causes of morbidity, functional dependency, and death in older adults. Falls have become a social and global public health concern due to the current aging population in Africa and across the globe. However, their prevalence and risk factors have...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:	Malawi medical journal Vol. 34; no. 4; pp. 225 - 230
Main Authors:	Adanusa, Madison, Pobee, Seth Kofi, Zaabaar, Ebenezer, Mawuko, Vukey, Asiedu, Kofi, Amuzu, Solomon Kweku, Adubofour, Wendy, Bazayeya, Celestine, Senaya, Ethel Enam Yawo, Ofori, Desiree Citsofe, Kyei, Samuel
Format:	Journal Article
Language:	English
Published:	Malawi The Medical Association Of Malawi 01-12-2022
Subjects:	Aged Aged, 80 and over Ghana - epidemiology Humans Middle Aged Original Research Prevalence Primary Health Care Risk Factors Ghana Falls older adults primary care timed up and go
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Summary:	Falls are a serious problem and are among the leading causes of morbidity, functional dependency, and death in older adults. Falls have become a social and global public health concern due to the current aging population in Africa and across the globe. However, their prevalence and risk factors have received little attention in Africa. Thus, this study aimed to provide a baseline survey to determine the prevalence and associated risk factors for falls among older adults attending a primary care facility in Cape Coast, Ghana. Participants (n = 244) were patients aged 60 years and older who visited the University of Cape Coast Hospital. The prevalence of falls identified in this hospital-based study was 40.2%. The following independent variables were found to be statistically significant predictors of risk of falls among the participants when compared with their respective reference categories; age 80 years and above [OR = 3.707, 95% CI = 1.738 - 7.907, p = 0.001], participants who had a history of falls [OR = 2.234, 95% CI = 1.326 - 3.765, p = 0.003], participants with three or more co-morbidities [OR = 16.456, 95% CI = 2.099 - 129.020, p = 0.008] and obesity [OR = 2.211, 95% CI = 1.151 - 4.250, p = 0.017]. The prevalence of falls among older adults is high. Thus, clinicians in the primary care setting should screen for, give fall prevention education, and prescribe appropriate interventions to at-risk patients.
Bibliography:	ObjectType-Article-1 SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1 ObjectType-Feature-2 content type line 23
ISSN:	1995-7270 1995-7262 1995-7270 1995-7262
DOI:	10.4314/mmj.v34i4.1