Successful ageing is associated with falls among older adults in India: a large population based across-sectional study based on LASI.
Level 4 - case-series / case-control
Cross-sectional observational analysis of survey data
PubMed 38914970 · doi:10.1186/s12889-024-19181-7
What was done
Analyzed cross-sectional data from Wave 1 of the Longitudinal Ageing Study in India (LASI) on 31,345 community-dwelling adults aged 60 and older. Successful ageing was defined by five criteria: absence of chronic diseases, freedom from disability, high cognitive ability, absence of depressive symptoms, and active social engagement. Falls, multiple falls, and fall-related injuries were assessed by interview. Multivariate logistic regression evaluated associations between successful ageing and fall outcomes, adjusting for socio-demographic and biological covariates.
What was found
Among 31,345 participants, 20.25% reported falling and 25% met criteria for successful agers. After full adjustment, successful ageing was negatively associated with falls (OR 0.70; 95% CI 0.65–0.76) and multiple falls (OR 0.70; 95% CI 0.63–0.78). The association with fall-related injuries was not statistically significant (OR 0.86; 95% CI 0.72–1.04).
Why it matters
This study provides large-scale population evidence from India showing that multidimensional successful ageing is associated with reduced risk of falls and recurrent falls in older adults.
Limits
The cross-sectional design precludes establishing temporal or causal relationships. Falls, injuries, and several components of the successful ageing construct were self-reported via interview, introducing potential recall and reporting bias.
Cited by
- contradicts In cultures where people routinely toilet, sleep, and eat on the ground, fall risk in the elderly drops to almost zero.