Journal of Multidisciplinary Healthcare (Mar 2024)
Multisite Pain and Intensity were Associated with History Fall among Older Adults: A Cross-Sectional Study
Abstract
Saud M Alrawaili,1 Khalid M Alkhathami,2 Mohamed G Elsehrawy,3 Sakher M Obaidat,4 Norah A Alhwoaimel,1 Aqeel M Alenazi1 1Department of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, Prince Sattam Bin Abdulaziz University, Al-Kharj, Saudi Arabia; 2Department of Health Rehabilitation, Shaqra University, Shaqra, Saudi Arabia; 3Department of Nursing, Prince Sattam Bin Abdulaziz University, Al-Kharj, Saudi Arabia; 4Department of Physical Therapy and Occupational Therapy, Faculty of Applied Medical Sciences, The Hashemite University, Zarqa, JordanCorrespondence: Aqeel M Alenazi, Department of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, Prince Sattam Bin Abdulaziz University, Al-Kharj, 11942, Saudi Arabia, Tel +966115886354, Email [email protected]; [email protected]: This study examined the independent associations among multisite pain, pain intensity, and the risk of falls, including a history of falls in the previous 12 months and frequent falls (≥ two falls vs one or two falls) among community-dwelling older adults.Methods: A cross-sectional design from Wave 2 of the National Social Life, Health, and Aging Project was used. Data on pain intensity and location (45 sites) over the past 4 weeks were collected. Multisite pain was categorized into four groups: none, one, two, and three or more sites. The main outcomes of falls were a history of falls and frequent falls. The covariates included age, sex, race, body mass index, education, medications, and comorbidities.Results: Among 3,196 participants in Wave 2, 2,697 were included because of missing key variables related to pain and fall history. The prevalence of falls and frequent falls were 30.3% (n = 817) and 12.6% (n = 339), respectively. Multisite pain at ≥ three sites (odds ratio (OR) 2.04, confidence interval (CI) [1.62, 2.57]; p < 0.001) and two sites (OR 1.72, 95% CI [1.30, 2.27]; p < 0.001) was significantly associated with an increased risk of falls. An increase in pain intensity was significantly associated with an increased risk of fall (OR 1.28, 95% CI [1.15, 1.44], p < 0.001), independent of multisite pain. Multisite pain at ≥ 3 sites (OR 2.19, 95% CI [1.56, 3.07], p < 0.001) and 2 sites (OR 1.54, 95% CI [1.01, 2.34], p = 0.045) was associated with an increased risk of frequent falls. An increase in pain intensity was associated with risk of frequent falls (OR 1.64, 95% CI [1.40, 1.91], p < 0.001), independent of multisite pain.Conclusion: Multisite pain and pain intensity were associated with a history of falls and frequent falls among older adults, emphasizing the need for routine pain evaluation to develop fall prevention strategies in this population.Keywords: falling, recurrent falls, multiple sites pain, pain severity, painful
