Correlation between chronic non-communicable disease and falls incidence among the elderly in urban and rural areas in Chongqing / 公共卫生与预防医学

ABSTRACT

Objective To analyze the correlation between the prevalence of chronic non-communicable diseases (NCDs) and fall incidence among the elderly in urban and rural areas in Chongqing, and to provide evidence for targeted intervention. Methods In 2019, a questionnaire survey was conducted among the elderly aged 65 and over in four districts and counties using multistage stratified cluster random sampling. The difference of NCDs prevalence and fall incidence was compared by Chi-square test. The correlation between NCDs and fall incidence was analyzed by multivariate logistic regression. Results A total of 806 and 801 elderly people aged 65 and above in urban and rural areas，respectively, were investigated The fall incidence among the elderly in rural areas (12.98%) was higher than that in urban areas (7.94%) (χ2=10.916, P=0.001). The multivariable logistic regression analysis showed that the prevalence of heart disease (OR=2.988, 95%CI:1.544-5.785), osteoporosis (OR=2.696, 95%CI:1.527-4.760) and vestibular dysfunction or deafness (OR=3.180, 95%CI:1.142-8.861) was associated with fall incidence among urban elderly people. Factors including need for care (OR=2.315，95%CI：1.130-4.744), diabetes (OR=3.067，95%CI:1.634-5.756), osteoporosis (OR=1.972, 95%CI:1.210-3.214), and arthritis (OR=2.975, 95%CI:1.901-4.657) were associated with fall incidence among rural elderly people. Conclusion The fall incidence among the elderly in rural areas is higher than that in urban areas in Chongqing. The prevalence of NCD is high among the elderly. Timely treatment of NCDs should be provided to reduce fall incidence among the elderly.