Association Between Changes in the Level of Social Support and Falls Among Older Adults.

OBJECTIVE

To determine the association between self-reported falls and level of social support or changes in social support among older adults.

PATIENTS AND

METHODS

Data from two repeated surveys were collected from the Mayo Clinic Biobank. Participants completed a baseline survey at the time of enrollment in the Mayo Clinic Biobank and a 10-year follow-up survey. We used logistic regression models to assess the association of seven social support variables reported in the baseline survey with fall-related outcomes reported in the follow-up survey. Similar analyses were conducted to assess the association of changes in the level of social support with falls and fall-related outcomes, adjusting for baseline social support, age, and gender.

RESULTS

A total of 37,210 participants responded to the surveys. The median participant age was 67 years for those who did not report a fall in the past year in the follow-up survey and 72 years for those who reported a fall. The proportion of self-reported gender was similar for those with falls (60.3% female, 39.7% male) and without falls (62.0% female, 38.0% male). Higher levels of baseline social support were associated with a lower likelihood of falls. Participants without social isolation had lower odds of falls than those with social isolation (odds ratio, 0.64; 95% CI, 0.60-0.68). Increased levels of social support were also associated with a lower likelihood of fall-related outcomes.

CONCLUSION

Our findings highlight the importance of social support that increases concomitant with age to reduce risk of falls among older adults.