Fall Risk Assessment Methods Among Older Adults: A Literatur Review
Abstract
The elderly often experience a decline in balance, functional ability, and mobility, increasing their susceptibility to falls and serious injuries. This study aimed to identify commonly used methods for assessing fall risks in the elderly through a literature review. Methods: The review focused on individuals aged >60 years and included studies assessing fall risk factors such as physical weakness and motor reaction time improvement. Cross-sectional studies and full-text journal articles were selected from four databases (ScienceDirect, ProQuest, PubMed, and SAGE Research Methods) covering the period from January 2019 to December 2024. The inclusion criteria involved studies focusing on fall risk factors, while exclusions included COVID-19-related studies, abstracts, reviews, discussion papers, letters to editors, and articles without full texts. Results: A total of 10 journal articles involving 15,274 elderly respondents were reviewed. Demographic data included age, gender, marital status, economic status, environment, weakness, medical history, and fall history. Various assessment methods were identified, with the most frequently used being fall questionnaires (26%), MMSE (17.3%), balance and fall scales (13%), physical activity assessments (8.6%), motor reaction time tests (8.6%), and BMI evaluations (8.6%). The data showed that methods with higher usage percentages are commonly employed to determine fall risks in the elderly. Conclusions: Fall risk assessments utilize diverse methodologies, including physical tests, mental health evaluations, and interviews. Notably, fall risk measurement methods have proven effective in preventing falls in this population.
References
Arantes, F. S., Oliveira, M. C., Arantes Souza, S. K., Nóbrega da Silva Nunes, C., Ribeiro Afonso, J. P., Pimentel Aleluia Freitas Júnior, A., Lima Rodrigues, G., Cezar da Silva Correia, K., Costa, E. V., Pinna, L., Ferreira da Silva, G., & Kelly da Palma, R. (2023). Autonomic activity, frailty phenotype and risk of falling in the elderly: Study protocol. Manual Therapy, Posturology & Rehabilitation Journal, 21(February), 1–6. https://doi.org/10.17784/mtprehabjournal.2023.21.1261
Bassett, A. M., Siu, K. C., & Honaker, J. A. (2020). Using Functional Ability Measures to Assess Fall Risk in Acute Care. Western Journal of Nursing Research, 42(12), 1050–1058. https://doi.org/10.1177/0193945920924637
Bastos, N. V., Soares, L. V. R., Cunha, A. A. C. da, Mendes, J. C. L., & Oliveira, L. M. (2023). A relevância da aplicação do Mini Exame do Estado Mental (MEEM) em idosos do Brasil: uma revisão integrativa. Revista Eletrônica Acervo Saúde, 23(1), e11275. https://doi.org/10.25248/reas.e11275.2023
Beck Jepsen, D., Robinson, K., Ogliari, G., Montero-Odasso, M., Kamkar, N., Ryg, J., Freiberger, E., & Tahir, M. (2022). Predicting falls in older adults: an umbrella review of instruments assessing gait, balance, and functional mobility. BMC Geriatrics, 22(1), 1–27. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12877-022-03271-5
Cardoso, S., Barros, R., Marôco, J., de Mendonça, A., & Guerreiro, M. (2024). Different MMSE domains are associated to cognitive decline and education. Applied Neuropsychology:Adult, 31(4), 533–539. https://doi.org/10.1080/23279095.2022.2041018
Gao, X., Huang, D., Hu, Y., Chen, Y., Zhang, H., Liu, F., & Luo, J. (2022). Direct Oral Anticoagulants vs. Vitamin K Antagonists in Atrial Fibrillation Patients at Risk of Falling: A Meta-Analysis. Frontiers in Cardiovascular Medicine, 9(May). https://doi.org/10.3389/fcvm.2022.833329
Go, Y. J., Lee, D. C., & Lee, H. J. (2021). Association between handgrip strength asymmetry and falls in elderly Koreans: A nationwide population-based cross-sectional study. Archives of Gerontology and Geriatrics, 96, 104470. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.archger.2021.104470
Hong, K. J., & Kim, J. (2021). Risk Factors Preventing Immediate Fall Detection: A Study Using Zero-Inflated Negative Binomial Regression. Asian Nursing Research, 15(4), 272–277. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.anr.2021.09.001
Kasović, M., Štefan, L., & Zvonar, M. (2020). Foot rotation and the risk of falls in older women: A cross-sectional study. PLoS ONE, 15(9 september), 1–7. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0239065
Khan, H. R., Ashraf, F., Ullah, I., Tahir, M. J., Dominari, A., Shoib, S., Naeem, H., Reddy, G., Mukherjee, P., Akram, I., Kamada, S., Memon, R. R., Khan, M. M. Y., Raut, S., Shalaby, M. M. M., Anwar, R. U., Farooq, M., Soparia, K. K., Ramalho, R., … Pakpour, A. H. (2021). Cross-cultural prevalence of sleep quality and psychological distress in healthcare workers during COVID-19 pandemic. Brain and Behavior, 11(11), e2383. https://doi.org/10.1002/brb3.2383
Lin, X. Z., Meng, R. L., Peng, D. D., Li, C., Zheng, X. Y., Xu, H. F., Xu, X. J., & Lin, L. F. (2022). Cross-sectional study on prevalence and risk factors for falls among the elderly in communities of Guangdong province, China. BMJ Open, 12(11), 1–6. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2022-062257
Liu, H., Hou, Y., Li, H., & Lin, J. (2022). Influencing factors of weak grip strength and fall: a study based on the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS). BMC Public Health, 22(1), 1–10. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-022-14753-x
Long, S., Hu, L., Luo, Y., Li, Y., & Ding, F. (2023). Incidence and risk factors of falls in older adults after discharge: A prospective study. International Journal of Nursing Sciences, 10(1), 23–29. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijnss.2022.12.010
Melo, D. M. de, Barbosa, A. J. G., Castro, N. R. de, & Neri, A. L. (2020). Mini-Mental State Examination in Brazil: An Item Response Theory Analysis TT - Miniexame do Estado Mental Brasileiro: Análise com Teoria de Resposta ao Item TT - Miniexamen del Estado Mental Brasileño: Análisis con la Teoría de Respuesta al Ítem. Paidéia (Ribeirão Preto, Online), 30, e3014–e3014. http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0103-863X2020000100603
Meratwal, G., Banseria, R., Khanna, M., & Kumar, A. (2023). Prevalence and factors associated with frailty among elderly in central Rajasthan: A cross-sectional study. Clinical Epidemiology and Global Health, 20(January), 101215. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cegh.2023.101215
Milling, L., Kjær, J., Binderup, L. G., de Muckadell, C. S., Havshøj, U., Christensen, H. C., Christensen, E. F., Lassen, A. T., Mikkelsen, S., & Nielsen, D. (2022). Non-medical factors in prehospital resuscitation decision-making: a mixed-methods systematic review. Scandinavian Journal of Trauma, Resuscitation and Emergency Medicine, 30(1), 24. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13049-022-01004-6
Pereira, I. I., Alves, S., Augusto, G., Bueno, S., Elmescany, R. B., Borges, L. A., Pinto, D. K., Martins, A. C., & Menezes, R. L. De. (2023). Motor Reaction Time, Sarcopenia and Functional Skills in Elderly Women: A Cross-Sectional Study. The Journal of Nutrition, Health and Aging, 27(10), 878–884. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12603-023-1983-0
Risbridger, S., Walker, R., Gray, W. K., Kamaruzzaman, S. B., Ai-Vyrn, C., Hairi, N. N., Khoo, P. L., & Pin, T. M. (2022). Social Participation’s Association with Falls and Frailty in Malaysia: A Cross-Sectional Study. Journal of Frailty and Aging, 11(2), 199–205. https://doi.org/10.14283/jfa.2021.31
Rocha, F., Gemito, M. L., Caldeira, E., Coelho, A. P., & Moita, E. (2022). Risco De Queda Nos Idosos: Mais Vale Prevenir Que Remediar. Revista Ibero-Americana de Saúde e Envelhecimento, 8(3), 329. https://doi.org/10.24902/r.riase.2022.8(3).569.329-344
Su, Y., Dong, J., Sun, J., Zhang, Y., Ma, S., Li, M., Zhang, A., Cheng, B., Cai, S., Bao, Q., Wang, S., & Zhu, P. (2021). Cognitive function assessed by Mini-mental state examination and risk of all-cause mortality: a community-based prospective cohort study. BMC Geriatrics, 21(1), 1–10. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12877-021-02471-9
Tavares, G. M. S., Pacheco, B. P., Gottlieb, M. G. V., Müller, D. V. K., & Santos, G. M. (2020). Interaction between cognitive status, fear of falling, and balance in elderly persons. Clinics, 75, 1–5. https://doi.org/10.6061/clinics/2020/e1612
Teng, L., Wang, D., Zhou, Z., Sun, J., Zhu, M., & Wang, R. (2024). Associations among frailty status, hypertension, and fall risk in community-dwelling older adults. International Journal of Nursing Sciences, 11(1), 11–17. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijnss.2023.12.010
Thakkar, S., Muhammad, T., & Srivastava, S. (2022). Cross-sectional associations of physical frailty with fall, multiple falls and fall-injury among older Indian adults: Findings from LASI, 2018. PLoS ONE, 17(8 August), 1–16. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0272669
Xu, Q., Ou, X., & Li, J. (2022). The risk of falls among the aging population: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Frontiers in Public Health, 10(4). https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2022.902599
Yu, W., Zhu, Y., Zhu, R., Bai, J., Qiu, J., Wu, Y., Zhong, K., & Gao, H. (2022). Insight into the characteristics of cider fermented by single and co-culture with Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Schizosaccharomyces pombe based on metabolomic and transcriptomic approaches. LWT, 163, 113538. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lwt.2022.113538
Zhang, H., Zhao, Y., Wei, F., Han, M., Chen, J., Peng, S., & Du, Y. (2022). Prevalence and Risk Factors for Fall among Rural Elderly : A County-Based Cross-Sectional Survey. NIH, 2022, 8. https://doi.org/10.1155/2022/8042915
Copyright (c) 2025 Indonesian Journal of Global Health Research
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
