Validity of 12-Month Falls Recall in Community-Dwelling Older Women Participating in a Clinical Trial

Abstract EN

Objectives.

To compare 12-month falls recall with falls reported prospectively on daily falls calendars in a clinical trial of women aged ≥70 years.

Methods.

2,096 community-dwelling women at high risk of falls and/or fracture completed a daily falls calendar and standardised interviews when falls were recorded, for 12 months.

Data were compared to a 12-month falls recall question that categorised falls status as “no falls,” “a few times,” “several,” and “regular” falls.

Results.

898 (43%) participants reported a fall on daily falls calendars of whom 692 (77%) recalled fall(s) at 12 months.

Participants who did not recall a fall were older (median 79.3 years versus 77.8 years, P=0.028).

Smaller proportions of fallers who sustained an injury or accessed health care failed to recall a fall (all P<0.04).

Among participants who recalled “no fall,” 85% reported zero falls on daily calendars.

Few women selected falls categories of “several times” or “regular” (4.1% and 0.4%, resp.) and the sensitivity of these categories was low (30% to 33%).

Simply categorising participants into fallers or nonfallers had 77% sensitivity and 94% specificity.

Conclusion.

For studies where intensive ascertainment of falls is not feasible, 12-month falls recall questions with fewer responses may be an acceptable alternative.