Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42079693›Full record

ArticlePhysiotherapy Canada. Physiotherapie Canada2025

Fear of Falling Avoidance Behaviour, but Not Fall History, Is Associated With Balance and Dynamic Gait Performance in Community-Dwelling Older Adults: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Holly J Roberts, Kristen M Johnson, Jane E Sullivan, Carrie W Hoppes

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Physiotherapy Canada. Physiotherapie Canada, 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. Commentary on Roberts et al.Physiotherapy Canada. Physiotherapie Canada · 2025
    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

4 authors.

Holly J RobertsFrom the: School of Physical Therapy, University of Puget Sound, Tacoma, Washington, United States.
Kristen M JohnsonRocky Mountain University of Health Professions - Health Sciences, Provo, Utah, United States.
Jane E SullivanNorthwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine - Physical Therapy, Chicago, Illinois, United States.
Carrie W HoppesArmy-Baylor University Doctoral Program in Physical Therapy, Fort Sam Houston, Texas, United States.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine relationships among balance confidence, fear of falling (FoF) avoidance behaviour, and high-level balance performance in community-dwelling older adults. Method: Eighty-nine participants (mean age 76 [SD 7] years, 54 females) completed the Activities-Specific Balance Confidence Scale, Fear of Falling Avoidance Behavior Questionnaire, Functional Gait Assessment (FGA), Community Balance and Mobility Scale (CB&M), and falls experienced in the past 12 months for this cross-sectional study. Results: Outcome measure (OM) scores did not differ between people who reported a fall and those without a fall. Correlations between all OMs varied from 0.52 to 0.88. FoF avoidance behaviour, but not fall history, was associated with lower scores on all measures. There were no floor or ceiling effects for the performance-based OMs. Conclusions: FoF avoidance behaviour did not differ between community-dwelling older adults with and without a previous fall. Participants who reported FoF avoidance behaviour had poorer balance performance, suggesting clinicians should assess high-level balance performance in older adults who exhibit FoF activity avoidance. Patient-reported OMs may identify older adults who need an assessment of dynamic balance and gait. The CB&M and FGA are appropriate to assess high-level balance in older adults.

Indexed as

accidental fallsagedcohort studiesgeriatric assessmentoutcome measurespostural balance.

Identifiers

PMID42079693
PMCPMC13134864

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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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.