Prevalence and risk factors of falls among the older adults in Gulf Cooperation Council countries: insights from a systematic review.

backgroundThe average life expectancy in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries has increased over the past few decades, contributing to an increase in the older adult population in the GCC countries. One of the important issues that older adults face is falls. The objective of this systematic review is to critically evaluate and synthesize the current literature on falls among older adults in GCC countries, with a focus on identifying key risk factors, prevalence rates, and implications for healthcare systems.

methodsUpdated Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews (PRISMA) guidelines was used to undertake this systematic review. An electronic literature search was carried out using PubMed and Scopus databases. Studies identified through databases were 1292. After following the Prisma recommendations for exclusion and inclusion criteria, the studies that included in the study were ten studies.

resultsThe review included ten studies from the GCC region. Based on six community-based studies, the prevalence of falls among older adults ranged from 6.7% to 79%, with a crude mean of approximately 52%. Risk factors identified across studies clustered into three domains: demographic factors (older age, female gender, lower education), health-related factors (cognitive impairment, comorbidities, polypharmacy, mobility limitations, use of walking aids, and psychological stress), and environmental factors (rented housing, hazardous home environments such as high thresholds, slippery floors, and upper-floor residences). Most falls occurred at home.

conclusionThe burden of falls has a significant impact on the healthcare systems in GCC countries because of projected increase in the older adult population in the coming years. Policymakers should concentrate on lowering the high rate of falls by prioritizing modifiable risk factors among older adults in the Gulf countries.