Resumen de Impact of a fall in the elderly: an analysis of the risk factors
Deivson Wendell da Costa Lima, Alyne Mara Maia Cruz, Fabíola Maria Pitombeira de Morais, Arthur Dyego de Morais Torres, Maria Celia de Freitas
One aimed to identify the risk factors associated to falls in the elderly, which reflect on their quality of life. This is a descriptive, cross-sectional study. A questionnaire was used to collect data from older adults of an active living group from Russas-CE during the period from August to December 2011. The data were inserted in electronic spreadsheets, analyzed by the descriptive statistics and submitted to odds ratio and chi-square tests with significance level p<0.05. The results indicate a high prevalence of falls in the elderly, especially women (OR:14.636; CI- 2.82-75.954). The intrinsic significant factors were hearing problems (p=0,02) and foot problems (p=0,01). The extrinsic factors were steps in the door (17%), resulting in fractures of the upper limb (69%), morbidity (41%) and psychological complaints (70%). Therefore, it is necessary the development of preventive and rehabilitation actions, ensuring a better quality of life for the elderly.
DOI:https://doi.org/10.15253/2175-6783.2013000500009
