Fear of Falling and Moderate-to-Vigorous Physical Activity in Community-Dwelling Older Adults. A Cross-Sectional Analysis

Authors

  • Archontissa Kanavaki Department of Physical Education and Sport Science, Democritus University of Thrace https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2630-1437
  • Maria Michalopoulou Department of Physical Education and Sport Science, Democritus University of Thrace
  • Evgenia Kouli Department of Physical Education and Sport Science, Democritus University of Thrace
  • Athanasios Gkrekidis Department of Physical Education and Sport Science, Democritus University of Thrace
  • Helen Douda Department of Physical Education and Sport Science, Democritus University of Thrace
  • Ilias Smilios Department of Physical Education and Sport Science, Democritus University of Thrace
  • Vasilios Gourgoulis Department of Physical Education and Sport Science, Democritus University of Thrace
  • Georgios Sirakoulis Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Democritus University of Thrace
  • Nikolaos Aggelousis Department of Physical Education and Sport Science, Democritus University of Thrace

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.26253/heal.uth.ojs.ispe.2023.1966

Abstract

Physical activity guidelines for older adults include at least 150min of moderate-to-vigorous aerobic physical activity (MVPA) per week. Fear of falling (FoF) is common among community-dwelling older adults and can lead to activity restriction in daily living and in turn increased fall risk. Given the limited evidence linking FoF with accelerometer-assessed MVPA, the present study aimed to examine the association of FoF with MVPA controlling for key confounders, including physical function, falls history and unsteady gait. A total of 149 community-dwelling individuals ≥60 years (mean age=72.10±6.23, 84.6% women) completed a set of self-report and physical performance measures and wore a triaxial accelerometer for a week. Multivariate linear regression models examined the association between FoF and MVPA adjusting for potential confounders. In the fully adjusted model, 28.2% of the variance in MVPA was explained by the predictors (Fchange=4.97, p<.01) and high FoF was significantly associated with less minutes/week of MVPA (β=-12.33, BCa CIs[-19.89, -4.32]). Findings revealed that among the multiple sources associated with MVPA in older adults, FoF has a small, yet significant influence. Identifying individuals with high FoF and addressing these concerns, should be part of the encounters exercise and other professionals have with older adults, as this could promote a more active lifestyle and reduce fall risk in this population.

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Published

2023-06-15

How to Cite

Kanavaki, A., Michalopoulou, M., Kouli, E., Gkrekidis, A., Douda, H., Smilios, I., Gourgoulis, V., Sirakoulis, G., & Aggelousis, N. (2023). Fear of Falling and Moderate-to-Vigorous Physical Activity in Community-Dwelling Older Adults. A Cross-Sectional Analysis. Inquiries in Physical Education and Sport, 21(1), 49–60. https://doi.org/10.26253/heal.uth.ojs.ispe.2023.1966

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Articles