SynthesisAge and ageing2023
A systematic review and meta-analysis of the measurement properties of concerns-about-falling instruments in older people and people at increased risk of falls.
Synthesis in Age and ageing, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 28 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
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
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
28 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Does concern about falling predict future falls in older adults? A systematic review and meta-analysis.Age and ageing · 2025Pooled it
- Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) with and without exercise to reduce fear of falling in older people living in the community.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2023Pooled it
- Effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of the Keep-On-Keep-Up digital falls prevention programme in community-dwelling older adults: results of a randomised controlled trial.Age and ageing · 2026Trial
- Assessing concerns about falling: a comparison of telephone-based and face-to-face FES-I interviews in older adults.BMC geriatrics · 2026Trial
- Standing strong and tall-improving mobility and balance in older Aboriginal people through the Ironbark program.Age and ageing · 2026Article
- Effects of Systemic Vibratory Therapy Combined with a Physical Activity Program in Older Adults on Fall Risk, Balance, Physical Conditioning, and Neuromuscular Variables: Study Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Urdu translation and cross-cultural adaptation of fall risk awareness questionnaire for older adults.BMC geriatrics · 2026Article
- Implementation of a Virtual Reality-Based Program for Fall Risk Reduction in Older Adults in Primary Health Care.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2026Article
- Acceptability of Minimalist Shoes Compared With Balance-Enhancing Shoes in Older Women: Protocol for a Randomised Crossover Trial.Journal of foot and ankle research · 2026Article
- Effectiveness and Cost-Effectiveness of a Digital Falls Prevention Program Versus Usual Care to Improve Balance, Falls Risk, and Function in Older Adults: Protocol for the Keep-On-Keep-Up Randomized Controlled Trial.JMIR research protocols · 2026Article
- Effect of Yoga Practices on Postural Stability, Fall Risk, and Psychological Wellbeing in Older Adults.Geriatrics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Incident Falls Across Concordant and Discordant Profiles of Concerns About Falling and Functional Mobility in Older Adults: A Prospective Cohort Study.Clinical interventions in aging · 2026Article
- Floor-Hugging intervention: findings from an exploratory study of a novel floor-exposure and post-fall contingency program.Frontiers in rehabilitation sciences · 2026Article
- Development of a short-form balance recovery confidence (SF-BRC) scale.Journal of clinical and translational science · 2026Article
- Association and predictive value analysis for mobility assessments and concerns about falling on falls in community-dwelling older adults: a prospective cohort study in China.BMC geriatrics · 2025Article
- The interaction of gait characteristics and concerns about falling in community-dwelling older adults.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- Article
- Concern About Falling Is a Predictor of Fall Risk in Older Patients With Cardiovascular Disease - A 1-Year Longitudinal Study.Circulation reports · 2025Article
- Identifying Frailty Risk in Older Adults: The Predictive Value of Functional Tests and Center-of-Pressure-Based Postural Metrics.Journal of clinical medicine · 2025Article
- Exploring how falls prevention practitioners assess and manage concerns about falling.European geriatric medicine · 2025Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundThe 16-item Falls Efficacy Scale International (FES-I) is widely used to assess concerns-about-falling. Variants include 7-item Short FES-I, 30-item Iconographical Falls Efficacy Scale (Icon FES) and 10-item short Icon FES. No comprehensive systematic review and meta-analysis has been conducted to synthesise evidence regarding the measurement properties of these tools.
objectivesTo conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis of the measurement properties of four FES-I variants.
methodsMEDLINE, Embase, CINAHL Plus, PsycINFO and Web of Science were searched systematically and articles were assessed for eligibility independently. The methodological quality of eligible studies was assessed using COnsensus-based Standards for the selection of health Measurement INstruments (COSMIN) Risk of Bias checklist. The quality of measurement properties was assessed using COSMIN criteria for good measurement properties. Where possible, meta-analysis was conducted; otherwise, narrative synthesis was performed. Overall certainty of evidence was rated using a modified Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluation system approach.
resultsThe review included 58 studies investigating measurement properties of the four instruments. There was high-quality evidence to support internal consistency, reliability and construct validity of all instruments. Moderate- to high-certainty evidence suggests one-factor structure of FES-I with two underlying dimensions, one-factor structure of Short FES-I and two-factor structure of Icon FES. There was high-certainty evidence to support the responsiveness of FES-I, with further research needed for the other instruments.
conclusionThere is evidence for excellent measurement properties of all four instruments. We recommend the use of these tools with healthy older people and people at a greater risk of falls due to conditions that might affect mobility and balance.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.