%0 Journal Article
%T Health Literacy and Older Adults: Fall Prevention and Health Literacy in A Midwestern State - Health Literacy and Older Adults: Fall Prevention and Health Literacy in A Midwestern State - Open Access Pub
%A Amy K. Chesser
%A Jared Reyes
%A Nicole L. Rogers
%A Nikki Keene Woods
%J OAP | Home | Journal of Aging Research And Healthcare | Open Access Pub
%D 2018
%X Falls continue to be a health concern for older adults. Gender and age are key predictors of falls, particularly for those with low health literacy. Data were collected by a State Health Department using the state-led supplemental question option for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Behavior Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) survey. Specifically, trend data for respondents were examined by gender, geographic location and health literacy rate. Results indicated the highest mean number falls occurred with men for those within the metropolitan statistical area (MSA) city code, lowest in suburban areas. Females reported to have a higher estimated mean number of falls and injuries than males. For males, the number of falls and injuries tended to decrease with higher health literacy. The findings support the importance of addressing fall prevention for older adults. Long term implications for improving fall prevention and health literacy for older adults include impact on individual outcomes. DOI10.14302/issn.2474-7785.jarh-17-1911 Among older adults, falls are the number one cause of fatal and non-fatal injuries {Centers for Disease, 2006 #67}. In 2014, the number of falls experienced by older adults was 29 million. That number is estimated to increase and the need for fall prevention continues to be supported by the evidence {Larson, 2017 #68}. Gender and age are key predictors of falls 1, 2, 3, 4. For adults ¡Ý65 years of age, the risk for falls can increase due to a number of concomitant factors related to ageing. Cognitive decline, changes in visual acuity, decreases in muscle strength, polypharmacy, and changes in balance and gait are commonplace sequelae of the ageing process; each of which is associated with an additional risk for accidental falls. Most of the identified risk factors for falls are modifiable, and a number of falls prevention programs and interventions exist 5. However, the effectiveness of such programs can be attenuated or negated in populations with low health literacy 6, 7. Understanding how health literacy and demographic factors contribute to the incidence of falls, particularly falls that result in injury, is key to modifying existing fall prevention interventions to be more efficacious with older adults with low health literacy. A few studies have examined health literacy and falls in an older adult population. For example, Jaffee et al. (2016) examined hospital readmission rates and falls after hospital discharge. Poor vision was found to be an independent predictor of a post-discharge fall. While low
%U https://www.openaccesspub.org/jarh/article/674