Dados do Trabalho

Título

Can sleep quality be associated with falls in older adults? A cross-sectional study

Introdução

Falls in older people is a public health problem that impacts the functionality of this population. It is still not clear in the literature whether poor sleep quality constitutes as a risk factor for falls in older adults.

Objetivo

To investigate whether sleep quality is a risk factor for falls in the elderly.

Métodos

The participants were interviewed at home. Only individuals over 60 years old and who had good cognition were included. The sleep quality was assessed by the Pittsburg Sleep Quality Index Questionnaires and the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression scale (CSES-D) was applied to assess depression. Participants reported the presence or absence of falls in the past year. Anthropometric and demographic variables were also obtained.

Resultados

The final sample of this study included 513 participants. Among them, 324 (63%) reported falls after 60 years and 183 (35.6%) fell in the last year. According to the logistic regression analysis, older people who have poorer sleep quality are 8% more likely to have a fall in the last year. Age also contributed to falls. Every 1 year of age, the chance of a fall increased by 3%.

Conclusões

Poor sleep quality was a risk factor for falls in the elderly, even after controlling for covariates. Therefore, health professionals need to be aware of the sleep quality of their patients over 60 years. Sleep assessment should be included in their conducts, as sleep impairment can negatively impact, not only the quality of life, but also contribute to falls, generating even more spending for the public health system.

Palavras-chave

Falls, Sleep, Older adults