Table 1 Characteristics of the total sample and by the fall status (occasional and recurrent fallers)
Variablesa | Entire sample | Occasional fallers | Recurrent fallers | P-value | Cohens’ d (90% CI) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
n = 504 | n = 356 (70.6%) | n = 148 (29.4%) | |||
Age (years) | 73.3 ± 6.4 | 73.1 ± 6.4 | 73.8 ± 6.5 | 0.236 | 0.11 (− 0.10;0.27) |
Female (n/%) | 391 (77.6%) | 273 (54.2%) | 118 (23.4%) | < .001 | −0.27 (− 0.33;-0.20) |
Male (n/%) | 113 (22.4%) | 83 (16.5%) | 30 (6.0%) | < .001 | −0.30 (− 0.34;-0.26) |
Body composition | |||||
 Weight (Kg) | 69.9 ± 11.7 | 70.0 ± 11.9 | 69.5 ± 11.3 | 0.636 | −0.05 (− 0.20;0.12) |
 Height (cm) | 155.7 ± 8.4 | 155.8 ± 8.6 | 155.4 ± 7.7 | 0.596 | −0.05 (− 0.21;0.11) |
 Waist circumference (cm) | 96.7 ± 10.9 | 97.0 ± 10.9 | 96.1 ± 11.0 | 0.406 | −0.08 (− 0.24;0.08) |
 Body mass index (Kg/m2) | 28.8 ± 4.1 | 28.8 ± 4.1 | 28.7 ± 4.0 | 0.869 | −0.03 (− 0.19;0.14) |
Chronic diseases (total) | 2.5 ± 1.8 | 2.2 ± 1.6 | 3.3 ± 2.2 | < .001 | 0.60 (0.45;0.78) |
Physical impairments (total) | 2.9 ± 1.7 | 2.4 ± 1.5 | 4.0 ± 1.7 | < .001 | 1.03 (0.86;1.19) |
Cognitive impairments (score) | 26.5 ± 3.6 | 27.0 ± 3.2 | 22.2 ± 4.2 | < .001 | −1.36 (− 1.54;-1.19) |
Physical function (score) | 20.6 ± 4.1 | 21.2 ± 3.5 | 19.1 ± 5.1 | < .001 | −0.52 (− 0.68;-0.36) |
Multidimensional balance (score) | 29.2 ± 7.3 | 30.3 ± 6.1 | 26.5 ± 9.0 | < .001 | −0.54 (− 0.70;-0.37) |
Fear of falling (score) | 21.8 ± 6.7 | 20.1 ± 4.9 | 25.9 ± 8.6 | < .001 | 0.93 (0.77;1.10) |
Affordances perception (cm) | 8.3 ± 7.2 | 8.5 ± 7.3 | 7.9 ± 7.0 | 0.429 | −0.08 (− 0.24;0.08) |
Gait (score) | 11.4 ± 1.4 | 11.6 ± 1.1 | 11.1 ± 1.8 | < .001 | −0.37 (− 0.53;-0.21) |
Physical activity (Mets/week) | 1996.5 ± 1928.1 | 2069.5 ± 1933.7 | 1753.6 ± 1712.9 | 0.085 | −0.17 (− 0.33;-0.01) |
Environmental hazards (total) | 10.7 ± 6.6 | 11.2 ± 6.5 | 9.5 ± 6.8 | 0.010 | −0.26 (− 0.42;-0.10) |
cFRs (standardized score) | 0.00 ± 4.0 | −1.24 ± 3.2 | 2.99 ± 4.1 | < .001 | 1.21 (1.04;1.39) |