The Association Between Fall History and Physical Performance Tests in the Community-Dwelling Elderly: A Cross-Sectional Analysis

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the association between baseline characteristics, three physical performance tests and fall history in a sample of the elderly from Korean population. METHODS A total of 307 participants (mean age, 76.70±4.85 years) were categorized into one of two groups, i.e., fallers and non-fallers. Fifty-two participants who had reported falling unexpectedly at least once in the previous 12 months were assigned to the fallers group. Physical performance tests included Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB), Berg Balance Scale (BBS), Timed Up and Go test. The differences between the two study groups were compared and we analyzed the correlations between fall histories and physical performance tests. RESULTS SPPB demonstrated a significant association with fall history. Although the BBS total scores did not show statistical significance, two dynamic balance test items of BBS (B12 and B13) showed a significant association among fallers. CONCLUSION This study suggests that SPPB and two dynamic balance test items of the BBS can be used in screening for risk of falls in an ambulatory elderly population.