Associated factors for falls, recurrent falls, and injurious falls in aged men living in Taiwan veterans homes

Background: The information exploring the falls, recurrent falls, and injurious falls simultaneously in a large scale of aged people was limited. This study investigated the prevalence and frequency of falls and identified the associated factors of fall among aged Chinese men. Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out in four veteran homes in eastern Taiwan from 2009 to 2010. The investigated sample consisted of 940 elderly men. A questionnaire was used for collecting demographic background, comorbid medical conditions, and fall characteristics. Depression status was evaluated by the Geriatric Depression Scale-Short Form. Results: The prevalence of fall and recurrent falls were 17.2 % and 6.9%, respectively. The injury rate after falls was 51.9%.The advanced age [odds ratio (OR): 1.04; confidence interval (CI): 1.01-1.07), depression status (OR: 1.05; CI: 1.01-1.10), stroke (OR: 2.16; CI: 1.18-3.96), gouty arthritis (OR: 1.96; CI: 1.36-2.81), and cataract (OR: 1.48; CI: 1.03-2.15) were independent variables associated with falls. We also found that the greater the number of variables, the higher the risk of falling (χ² for linear trend = 31.98, d.f.= 4, p < 0.001). Furthermore, depression was the only independent variable for predicting recurrent falls (OR: 1.22; CI: 1.12-1.32). However, no variable was found to be capable of predicting injurious falls. Conclusion: This study demonstrated that the advanced age, depression status, stroke, gouty arthritis, and cataract are independent variables for predicting falls; depression is the only clinical factor capable of predicting the recurrent falls. These variables were potential targets for effective prevention of falls.