Prevalence of falls, injury from falls and associations with chronic diseases among community-dwelling older adults in Guangzhou, China: a cross-sectional study.

Introduction: As a developing country with the largest older adult population in the world, strengthening the research on falls among the older adults is undoubtedly an urgent item in China. This study aimed to explore the prevalence and risk factors associated with falls and injury from falls among community-dwelling older adults in Guangzhou, China, particularly focusing on their associations with chronic diseases. Methods: A total of 1,629 participants aged 65 years and above were selected from 11 counties in Guangzhou by the multi-stage stratified random sampling method in 2021. Socio-demographic characteristics, health and lifestyle factors, the status of falls, and injury from falls were measured by structured questionnaires through face-to-face interviews. Chi-square tests and logistic regression analysis were used to identify factors associated with falls and injury from falls. Chord diagrams were used to explore their associations with chronic diseases. Results: A total of 251 participants (15.41%, 95% CI: 13.98%-17.25%) reported falls, and 162 participants (9.46%, 95% CI:7.72%-11.55%) indicated an injury from falls. Logistic regression analysis showed the results as follows: female patients (adjusted OR = 1.721, 95% CI: 1.681-1.761) aged ≥80 years (1.910, 1.847-1.975), unemployed (1.226, 1.171-1.284), uninsured (1.555, 1.448-1.671), average monthly household income of 2,001-4,000 CNY (1.878, 1.827-1.930), number of services provided by the community health center ≥13 times per year (1.428, 1.383-1.475), illness within 2 weeks (1.633, 1.595-1.672), high-intensity physical activity (2.254, 2.191-2.32), sedentary (1.094, 1.070-1.117), and number of chronic disease illnesses ≥3 (1.930, 1.870-1.993). Meanwhile, those risk factors were also associated with injury from falls. The older adults with medium-intensity physical activity were at lower risk (0.721, 0.705-0.737) of falls and higher risk (1.086, 1.057-1.117) of being injured from falls. Chord diagrams showed the correlations between chronic diseases and falls and injury from falls among community-dwelling older adults in Guangzhou, China. Conclusion: The high prevalence of falls is found among community-dwelling older adults in Guangzhou, China, which is related to multiple factors such as demographic variables, lifestyle, and health status, especially for chronic diseases. Therefore, targeted interventions should be developed and implemented urgently.

Association between meteorological factors and elderly falls in injury surveillance from 2014 to 2018 in Guangzhou, China.

Introduction: With rapid increase in the aging population, falls injuries have become an important public health problem. However, limited data have been reported on the associations between meteorological factors and falls injuries in the elderly. This study assessed the epidemiology of falls injuries and explored this association in the elderly in Guangzhou, China. Methods: Data on elderly falls injury cases and meteorological variables from 2014 to 2018 in Guangzhou were collected from the Guangzhou Injury Monitoring System and Guangzhou Meteorological Bureau, respectively. The monthly average data on falls injuries and meteorological factors were applied to the data analysis. These correlations were conducted using Pearson correlation analysis. A multiple linear regression model was used to estimate the effects of meteorological factors on falls injuries in the elderly in Guangzhou, China. Results: Accounting for 49.41% of causes of elderly injury were falls in the Guangzhou Injury Monitoring System from 2014 to 2018, which occupied first place for five consecutive years. The monthly number of elderly falls injury cases was lowest in April and highest in December, and had a positive correlation with monthly mean wind speed (r = 0.187, P < 0.01) and a negative correlation with monthly atmospheric pressure (r = -0.142, P < 0.05). A multiple linear regression model was constructed (F = 10.176, P < 0.01), which explained 23.7% of the variances (R 2 = 0.237). Monthly mean wind speed (ß = 76.85, P < 0.01) and monthly mean atmospheric pressure (ß = -3.162, P < 0.01) were independent factors affecting monthly elderly falls injuries. Conclusions: Falls are the primary cause of injury among elderly people in Guangzhou, China. Meteorological factors are related to falls injuries in the elderly population. Decreasing activity during high wind and low atmospheric pressure weather may help reduce the number of elderly falls injury cases.

Motion Analysis of Football Kick Based on an IMU Sensor.

A greater variety of technologies are being applied in sports and health with the advancement of technology, but most optoelectronic systems have strict environmental restrictions and are usually costly. To visualize and perform quantitative analysis on the football kick, we introduce a 3D motion analysis system based on a six-axis inertial measurement unit (IMU) to reconstruct the motion trajectory, in the meantime analyzing the velocity and the highest point of the foot during the backswing. We build a signal processing system in MATLAB and standardize the experimental process, allowing users to reconstruct the foot trajectory and obtain information about the motion within a short time. This paper presents a system that directly analyzes the instep kicking motion rather than recognizing different motions or obtaining biomechanical parameters. For the instep kicking motion of path length around 3.63 m, the root mean square error (RMSE) is about 0.07 m. The RMSE of the foot velocity is 0.034 m/s, which is around 0.45% of the maximum velocity. For the maximum velocity of the foot and the highest point of the backswing, the error is approximately 4% and 2.8%, respectively. With less complex hardware, our experimental results achieve excellent velocity accuracy.

Prevalence and related factors of depression and falls among the elderly living in rural communities of Guangzhou.

Few studies have concentrated on the prevalence and related factors of depression and falls among the elderly living in rural communities of Guangzhou. A total of 335 participants aged ≥60 years were recruited by simple random sampling method. A structural equation model was applied to determine interrelationships between depression, falls and other variables. As high as 27.5% and 23.3% participants had reported depressive symptoms and falls, respectively. The path analysis showed the total effect (ß = -0.58) of depression on quality of life (QOL) consisted of a direct effect (ß = -0.51) and an indirect effect (ß = -0.07), which was mediated by family function and number of falls, and the R2 was 0.36. The model fit indices were χ2/df = 1.096, P > 0.05, Root Mean Square Error of Approximation (RMSEA) = 0.017, Tucker-Lewis Index (TLI) = 0.998 and Comparative Fit Index (CFI) = 0.999. Depression and falls were prevalent among the elderly living in rural communities of Guangzhou city. Pay attention to strengthen family function and prevent falls may prevent depression and improve the QOL among the elderly.