Fall risks and Health-related quality of life among elderly attending primary healthcare centers in South Western Nigeria: A cross-sectional study

Abstract

Background: The older persons are prone to falls resulting in severe injury. Falls among the older adults lead to significant public health sequelae and they account for the most prevalent forms of accidents that occur in older persons. Fall risks may be higher among the elderly with poor quality of life. This study was aimed at evaluating fall risks and the quality of life of the older adults attending primary health-care (PHC) centers in Lagos. Methods: This was a descriptive, cross-sectional study carried out among the elderly that attended PHC centers in Mushin local government area (LGA), Lagos state. A multistage random sampling technique was used to select the LGA and the PHC centers that were used. Fall Risk for Older People-Community Setting and the short form-12 Health survey were used. A total of 200 respondents from the PHC centers participated in the study. Data were collected and analyzed using Epi-info version 7.2.1.0 software. Associations between fall risks, fall prevalence, and quality of life were determined using Chi-square. The level of significance was set at P < 0.05. Results: The prevalence of falls was 15% and 92.5% of the respondents had a low risk of falling and 93.4% had a good quality of life. There was a statistically significant association between risk factors for falls and quality of life (<0.001), as well as the prevalence of falls (<0.001). Those with poor quality of life and those who have fallen previously have a higher risk of falling. Conclusion: Fall risk was low, while fall prevalence and quality of life were high.

Keywords

• fall prevalence
• fall risks
• older persons
• primary health care
• quality of life