An Examination of Incident and Recurrent Fall Risk Among Older Adult Males in the United States

Abstract

About one in every four older adults fall each year, and falls are among the leading causes of morbidity and mortality among older adults in the United States. While much is known about the complexities of fall-related modifiable and nonmodifiable risk factors, less is known about the risk for falls among men, specifically non-Hispanic Black and Hispanic men with chronic conditions. While any fall can be detrimental to the health of an older adult, additional examination is warranted to examine risk-related differences for incident falls and recurrent falls. This dissertation examined the risk factors associated with incident and recurrent falls among older adult men in the United States. It included three interrelated studies. The first study was a scoping review of 38 studies, through which the evidence pertaining to approximately 60 fall-related risk factors was examined. Findings confirm the complexity and interrelation of fall-related risk factors among older adults, but few studies specifically focused on falls among men, and fewer examined race/ethnicity as a variable of interest. The second study was a secondary data analysis to examine factors associated with incident and recurrent falls reported in the past 3 months among non-Hispanic White, non-Hispanic Black, and Hispanic older men with ≥1 chronic diseases who enrolled in an evidence-based fall prevention program. Findings revealed that about 19% reported an incident and recurrent fall, respectively. Men who had more fear of falling reported incident and recurrent falls. Men who limited their activities because of concerns about falling were more likely to report an incident fall and recurrent falls, respectively. Having more comorbidities was associated with increased reporting of recurrent falls. The third study was a secondary data analysis to examine factors associated with incident and recurrent falls reported in the past 12 months among non-Hispanic Black and Hispanic men with ≥1 chronic diseases from a national survey. Findings revealed that 12.6% and 14.4% of men reported incident and recurrent falls, respectively. Men who reported good general health status and got help needed reported lower recurrent falls. Reporting more comorbidities and depression was associated with recurrent falls.