Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40562016›Full record

ArticleGerontology2025

Falls in the Oldest Old: Role of Gender, Living Situation, and Assistive Devices.

Katherine A Colcord, Luohua Jiang, Zarui A Melikyan, Zeinah Al-Darsani, Nikki Jagusch Arnold, Hayley B Kristinsson, Claudia H Kawas, María M Corrada

Abstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Gerontology, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from 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.

2 · The registry

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.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors.

Katherine A ColcordDepartment of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of California, Irvine, California, USA.
Luohua JiangDepartment of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of California, Irvine, California, USA.
Zarui A MelikyanInstitute for Memory Impairments and Neurological Disorders, University of California, Irvine, California, USA.
Zeinah Al-DarsaniDepartment of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Temple University College of Public Health, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.
Nikki Jagusch ArnoldPartners in Care, Bend, Oregon, USA.
Hayley B KristinssonDepartment of Neurology, University of California, Irvine, California, USA.
Claudia H KawasInstitute for Memory Impairments and Neurological Disorders, University of California, Irvine, California, USA.
María M CorradaDepartment of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of California, Irvine, California, USA.

Funding

Diversity Supplement to R01AG021055; Clinical, Imaging, and Pathological Studies in the Oldest Old: The 90+ StudyR01AG021055 · NIA · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA-IRVINE · PI CORRADA, MARIA, KAWAS, CLAUDIA H. · 2002 to 2024
$36.9M
Training in Translational ADRD Neuroscience (TITAN)T32AG073088 · NIA · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA-IRVINE · PI Joshua Grill, Elizabeth Head · 2021 to 2026
$2.2M
NIA NIH HHS R01 AG021055NIA NIH HHS T32 AG073088
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

introductionFalls can have serious health consequences, especially in the oldest old (individuals 90+ years), for whom falls often result in injury or even death. Few studies have examined falls in the oldest old. We aim to assess fall prevalence, fall rate, and rate change over time according to gender, living situation, and assistive device use.

methodsParticipants are from the 90+ Study, a longitudinal study of individuals 90 years and older with evaluations every 6 months. Participants, or their informants, were asked how many times they have fallen in the past year (first visit) or since their last visit (follow-up visits). We calculated unadjusted baseline fall prevalence. Using generalized linear mixed regression models, we estimated adjusted baseline fall rate and adjusted change in rate over time by gender, living situation, and assistive device.

resultsIn 1,672 participants (mean age 93 years, range 90-110 years), unadjusted baseline prevalence of 1+ falls was 47.8% in women and 47.9% in men. Estimated adjusted baseline fall rate was 0.66 falls per person-year in women and 0.71 falls per person-year in men. In women, fall rate did not change significantly over time, whereas in men, fall rate increased by an average of 6% per year. Both men and women in nursing homes had a higher fall rate compared with those in the community. In nursing homes, fall rate remained stable over time in men and decreased over time in women. Fall rate was higher in both men and women using assistive devices. However, walkers were associated with a decrease in fall rate over time in women and in participants in nursing homes. Canes were unexpectedly associated with an increase in fall rate over time.

conclusionIndividuals 90 years and older had a high prevalence of falls overall. The higher and increasing rate of falls over time in men compared to women suggests that efforts should be made to increase the uptake of fall prevention strategies specifically in men in the oldest age categories. The increasing fall rate in participants using canes suggests that referral to a health care provider trained in gait analysis prior to assistive device prescription could assist with fall prevention efforts in the oldest old.

Indexed as

Accidental FallsSelf-Help DevicesActivities of Daily LivingAged, 80 and overFemaleHumansLongitudinal StudiesMalePrevalenceRisk FactorsSex Factors90+Fall prevalenceFall preventionFall rateOlder adults

Identifiers

PMID40562016
PMCPMC12278738

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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.