The effects of objectively measured physical activity and fitness on fear of falling among Korean older women

We examined the effects of objectively measured physical activity (PA) and physical fitness (PF) on fear of falling (FOF) among older adults. The subjects were 94 Korean females aged 65–79. PA was measured with accelerometers, PF with the senior fitness test and FOF with the Korean Survey of Activities and Fear of Falling in the Elderly. With the subjects’ age, number of chronic conditions, and history of falls included as correction factors, a multiple regression analysis showed that PA (P=0.016) and agility/dynamic balance measured by the 8-foot up-and-go test (UNG) (P=0.001) significantly influenced FOF. The FOF of the slowest UNG quartile was significantly higher than those of other groups (P=0.002). This study concludes that among female older adults agility/dynamic balance as measured by UNG is the main factor impacting FOF and individuals with markedly low UNG tend to have high FOF.