ArticleThe journal of nutrition, health & aging2015
Prevalence of Falls in an Urban Community-Dwelling Older Population of Cape Town, South Africa.
Article in The journal of nutrition, health & aging, 2015. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 6 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
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Who cites it
6 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 8 citations in OpenAlex.
- Pooled it
- Effectiveness of fall prevention interventions for community-dwelling adults aged 60 years and above in low- and middle-income countries: a systematic review and meta-analysis.BMC geriatrics · 2026Pooled it
- Self-reported fall and associated factors among adult people with visual impairment in Gondar, Ethiopia: a cross-sectional study.BMC public health · 2020Article
- Validity of the Falls Risk for Older People in the Community (FROP-Com) tool to predict falls and fall injuries for older people presenting to the emergency department after falling.European journal of ageing · 2019Article
- Association between structural changes in brain with muscle function in sarcopenic older women: the women's healthy ageing project (WHAP).Journal of musculoskeletal & neuronal interactions · 2019Article
- Fertility Desire And Associated Factors Among HIV Positive Women Attending ART Clinics In Amhara Region Referral Hospitals In Northwest Ethiopia, 2017.HIV/AIDS (Auckland, N.Z.) · 2019Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
5 authors at 2 institutions in 3 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectiveFalls are a major cause of disability and mortality in older adults. Studies on falls in this population have mainly been conducted in high income countries, and scant attention has been given to the problem in low and middle income countries, including South Africa. The aim of the study was to establish a rate for falls in older adults in South Africa.
designA cross-sectional survey with a 12-month follow-up survey.
settingThree purposively selected suburbs of Cape Town: Plumstead, Wynberg Central and Gugulethu.
participantsEight hundred and thirty seven randomly sampled ambulant community-dwelling subjects aged ≥ 65 years grouped according to ethnicity in three sub-samples: black Africans, coloureds (people of mixed ancestry) and whites. MEASUREMENTS: Data were collected on socio-demographic and health characteristics, and history of falls using a structured questionnaire and a protocol for physical assessments and measurements.
resultsOf the total baseline (n=837) and follow-up (n=632) survey participants, 76.5% and 77.2 % were females with a mean (S.D) age of 74 years (6.4) and 75 years (6.2), respectively. Rates of 26.4% and 21.9% for falls and of 11% and 6.3% for recurrent falls, respectively, were calculated at baseline and follow-up. Fall rates differed by ethnic sub-sample at baseline: whites 42 %, coloureds 34.4% and black Africans 6.4 % (p=0.0005). Rates of 236, 406 and 354 falls per 1000 person years were calculated for men, women and both genders, respectively. Recurrent falls were more common in women than in men.
conclusionFalls are a significant problem in older adults in South Africa. Effective management of falls and falls prevention strategies for older people in South Africa, need to be developed and implemented.
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