The Profile of Quality of Life and Fear of Falling in a Multi-ethnic Sample

Abstract

Falls is a major health issue among the elderly. It instils fear of falling (FoF) and affects quality of life (QoL). However few studies have examined this issue in a multicultural population like that in Malaysia. Our aim is to evaluate the association between FoF and QoL among Malaysian older adults. Respondents aged 58 and above, able to give consent, were recruited from University Malaya Medical Centre and community centers (n=486). QoL and FoF were measured using CASP-19 and short Falls Efficacy Scale-International respectively. Questionnaires were administered face-to-face by trained interviewers. Participants were mostly female (66%). The ethnic distribution of participants was: Chinese (60%), Malay (24%), Indian (12%) and others (4%).Mean score for QoL is 43.8 ranging from 10-57 while FoF mean is 13.2 ranging from 7-28. QoL declined as FoF increased(r=-.47, p?.01) Malays have the highest QoL in Malaysia. QoL scores decrease with increased FoF. Further study is necessary to establish the role of economy or livelihoods as well as investigating are cultural practices of a particular ethnic influencing QoL in anyway