The Characteristics of Falls and Its Potential Predictors

The Characteristics of Falls in Community-dwelling Older Adults in Hong Kong and Its Potential Predictors

A prospective study to examine the fall characteristics among elderly faller in Hong Kong and the potential predictors of falls incidence.

This will be a prospective study. One thousand and five hundred older fallers would be recruited. Baseline assessments would be conducted to examine potential fall risk factors and the fall history. The subjects would be followed up for 1 year for fall incidence. This study conforms to the ethical principles of the World Medical Association Declaration of Helsinki.

Inclusion Criteria:

• aged 60 or older
• able to ambulate with a Functional Ambulation Category (FAC) score ≥ 3
• able to walk for ≥ 10 meters
• history of falls in the past 12 months
• living in the community
• able to understand Chinese

Exclusion Criteria:

• blindness