Individual, Environmental, and Social Factors Associated with Fear of Falling in Iranian Older Adults

Background: The fear of falling is a major health problem among older adults. This study aimed to investigate the fear of falling in Iranian older adults and explore the personal, environmental, and social factors associated with it. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in 2022, and 300 older adults residing in retirement centers in Qom were selected using cluster sampling. Data were collected through interviews using a multi-part questionnaire covering demographic characteristics, fear of falling, balance confidence, social support, and home safety. The collected data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation coefficient, and regression analysis. Results: The mean age of the participants was 64.34±5.3 years, and 80.1% of the participants were men. The results of multivariate regression analysis showed that among the studied variables, age (β=0.120, P=0.037), female gender (β=0.141, P=0.011), hearing loss (β=0.141, P=0.013), dizziness (β=0.155, P=0.004), aerobic physical activity (β=0.187, P=0.004), and balance confidence (β=0.410, P=0.007) were predictors of fear of falling and the model was able to predict 45.8% of the variance of the fear of falling. Conclusion: The results of the study revealed that fear of falling was correlated with balance confidence, physical activity, female gender, and some medical conditions. These findings have implications for the development of educational programs aimed at reducing falls and fear of falling in older adults.