Fear of Falling and Mortality among Older Adults in Korea: Analysis of the Korean Longitudinal Study of Aging

Background: The fear of falling (FOF) has been reported in a high percentage of elderly people. An excessive FOF is a major concern among the elderly because it can lead to permanent disability. However, the impact of FOF on mortality has been insufficiently studied. The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of FOF on mortality among the elderly in Korea. Methods: This was a prospective study carried out using the database of the Korean Longitudinal Study of Aging, a nationwide study of community-dwelling adults in Korea. Study participants induded 3,421 adults, aged 65 years or older, without either severe cognitive impairment (Korean version of Mini-Mental Status Examination >= 10), or previous history of cancer. We used Cox proportional hazards models to investigate the association between FOF and all-cause mortality. Results: This study included 1,474 men and 1,947 women. Cox regression showed that participants with FOE had an increased risk of mortality (mild: hazard ratio [HR], 1.25; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.01-1.54; moderate: HR, 1.59; 95% CI, 1.23-2.05) after adjusting for confounding variables. In a subgroup analysis, FOF was still a significant risk factor of mortality for patients with no previous history of falling after adjusting for other risk factors, as in the full model, except for history of falling (HR, 1.65; 95% CI, 1.27-2.13). Conclusion: We found that FOF was a significant risk factor for mortality in the elderly in Korea. Further studies on the effects and mechanism of FOF on mortality are needed.