Fear of Falling, Falls Efficacy, and Health Outcomes in Older People Following Hip Fracture

Purpose: This study sought to determine whether fear of falling and falls efficacy independently contribute to the prediction of health outcomes after a fall, controlling for length of stay in hospital, prefall activity problems, and history of falls.

Method: Eighty-two older people (> or = 65 years) admitted to hospital as a result of a fall, with proximal femoral fracture, were interviewed to assess variables of interest. At two months after initial interview, participants (n = 57) were re-interviewed in their own home, and their functional limitation and further fall events were assessed. Regression analyses were carried out to determine the ability of the variables assessed in hospital to predict functional limitation and further falls post discharge.

Results: Perceived risk of falling and falls efficacy did not explain variance in functional limitation when added to a model containing biomedical factors. In the prediction of further falls, addition of falls efficacy and worry over further falls to a model containing biomedical factors resulted in a statistically reliable improvement, although falls efficacy was not independently associated with outcome.

Conclusions: Assessing worry over further falls in hospital may help to identify older people with hip fracture at risk of poor health outcomes.