Dados do Trabalho

Título

Is poor sleep quality associated with falls in community-dwelling older adults?

Introdução

Populations are aging due to increased life expectancy, thereby generating challenges for health systems. Falls have serious consequences for the physical and mental health of older adults. Some studies have examined the risk factors related to falls, but few have investigated poor sleep quality as a risk factor.

Objetivo

To determine whether poor sleep quality in community-dwelling older adults was a risk factor for falls.

Métodos

A total of 513 older adults were recruited through household interviews in the city of Presidente Prudente in the State of Sao Paulo, Brazil. The participants completed questionnaires about sleep quality (the Pittsburg Sleep Quality Index), and answered questions about their history of falls (Have you fallen in the last year? Have you fallen since you became 60 years old?).

Resultados

The findings demonstrated that 324 (63%) had fallen after becoming 60 years old and 183 (35.6%) had fallen in the last year. Sleep quality showed to be a risk factors for falls with an Odds=1.12 (95%Confidence Interval: 1.05 to 1.19) adjusted for age, body mass index and sex.

Conclusões

The results were consistent in indicating that sleep quality was associated with falls in older community-dwelling adults. Health professionals should be aware of this association, and implement measures to assess and improve the sleep quality of older adults.

Palavras -chave

Sleep, Senior, Falls