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Download fileA population-based study of fall risk factors among people with multiple sclerosis in Stockholm county.
journal contribution
posted on 2014-03-18, 00:00 authored by Charlotte Ytterberg, Ulrika Einarsson, Lotta Widén Holmqvist, Elizabeth Walker PetersonObjective: To identify factors associated with increased likelihood
of reporting a recent fall among people with multiple
sclerosis. This study was exploratory in its intent to examine
sense of coherence as a contextual influence on fall risk. The
study also sought to confirm that variables previously identified
as fall risk factors for people with multiple sclerosis
persist when tested in a population-based sample.
Design: The study was cross-sectional and data was obtained
in the context of a population-based study of people with
multiple sclerosis living in Stockholm.
Subjects: A total of 164 people with multiple sclerosis, age
range 19–79 years.
Methods: Data were gathered through established instruments.
Key instruments utilized included the sense of coherence
scale, the Lindmark Motor Capacity Assessment’s subscale
for balance, and the 10-metre walking test. A logistic
regression model examined factors associated with reporting
a fall in the past 3 months.
Results: Of the participants, 62 (38%) reported experiencing
at least one fall in the past 3 months. Reduced walking speed,
impaired balance, and weak sense of coherence were associated
with falls in the past 3 months.
Conclusion: These findings underscore the importance of
examining diverse and modifiable influences on fall risk, including
walking speed, balance and sense of coherence, in
future studies involving people with multiple sclerosis.