Development of an age- and sex-specific fall risk index for older adults based on a multilevel analysis of the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging

We know that risk of suffering a fall increases with age and after a first fall episode. Sex traits influence the risk of falls and although falls are more common in women than in men, their consequences are worse in the latter. Most falls occur due to multiple factors, and it is not easy to identify who is at high risk of falling. There is no single measurement that can predict falls on its own. Combining different measures may help to detect those at risk for future falls. Thus, we will develop measures, called indices, to examine the risk of future falls. These indices will be age- and sex specific. To build these indices, we will combine different measures collected in the Canadian Longitudinal study on Aging. This study will allow us to define the main fall risk factors for older men and women living in community across Canada. We will identify subgroups of people (men and women, age 65-74 and 75+) with a greater number of fall risk factors and assess their strength in each subgroup. This project will help us address the policy-relevant question of “who are the most risk of future falls?”