Objective

The objective of this study was to explore the relationship between home hazards and the incidence of falls in the oldest old population.

Study design and setting

The Leiden 85-plus Study is a population-based study of all 85-year-old inhabitants of Leiden in the birth-cohort 1912-1914. Participants and general practitioners were interviewed at baseline and annually there after. We analyzed the incidence of falling in the first year dependent on the presence of home hazards at baseline. There were no exclusion criteria other than the inability to walk alone.

Results

During the 1-year follow-up, 44% of the participants experienced one or more falls. Participants without preceding falls (n=246) had a 4-fold risk for falls in the presence of six or seven home hazards (relative risk 3.58, 95% confidence interval 1.75-5.05) compared with those without home hazards. Participants with preceding falls (n=234) had no increased risk of falls with increasing numbers of home hazards, although they had a higher risk to fall. The data confirmed the known increased risk for falls in participants with physical impairments.

Conclusion

We conclude that participants without a history of preceding falls have an increased risk of falling due to the presence of home hazards.