Fear of falling

Postural threat elicits a robust emotional response (e.g., fear and anxiety about falling), with concomitant modifications in balance. Recent theoretical accounts propose that emotional responses to postural threats are manifested, in part, from the conscious monitoring and appraisal of bodily signals ('interoception'). Here, we empirically probe the role of interoception in shaping emotional responses to a postural threat by experimentally manipulating interoceptive cardiac feedback. Sixty young adults completed a single 60-s trial under the following conditions: Ground (no threat) without heart rate (HR) feedback, followed by Threat (standing on the edge of a raised surface), during which participants received either false heart rate feedback (either slow [n=20] or fast [n=20] HR feedback) or no feedback (n=20)...

Introduction: Fall Risk Appraisal (FRA), a process that integrates perceived and objective fall risk measures, serves as a crucial component for understanding the incongruence between fear of falling (FOF) and physiological fall risk in older adults. Despite its importance, scant research has been undertaken to investigate how habitual physical activity (PA) levels, quantified in Monitor-Independent Movement Summary (MIMS), vary across FRA categories. MIMS is a device-independent acceleration summary metric that helps standardize data analysis across studies by accounting for discrepancies in raw data among research-grade and consumer devices...

BACKGROUND: Impairments in real-world gait quality and quantity are multifaceted for individuals with multiple sclerosis (MS), encompassing mobility, cognition, and fear of falling. However, these factors are often examined independently, limiting insights into the combined contributions they make to real-world ambulation. RESEARCH QUESTION: How do mobility, cognition, and fear of falling contribute to real-world gait quality and quantity in individuals with MS? METHODS: Twenty individuals with MS underwent a series of cognitive assessments, including the Paced Auditory Serial Addition Test (PASAT), Symbol Digits Modalities Test (SDMT), Stroop Test, and the Selective Reminding Test (SRT)...

BACKGROUND: The current rate of organ donation in China falls significantly below the global average and the actual demand. Nursing students play a crucial role in supporting and promoting social and public welfare activities. This study primary aims to analyze the levels of knowledge, attitudes, willingness toward organ donation, and attitudes toward death among nursing students, and investigate the mediating role of attitude in the relationship between knowledge and willingness. The secondary aims to identify factors that may influence the willingness...

OBJECTIVE: Sedentary behavior, falls, and fear of falling (FoF) are specific concerns for people with MS (pwMS). Considering the relatively high incidence and potential linkage, it is surprising that this triple relationship has as yet not been extensively investigated in pwMS. Thus, the present study aimed to examine the correlates of sedentary behavior with FoF and falls in pwMS. METHODS: Fifty pwMS, 30 women, were admitted to this cross-sectional study. Primary outcome measures included physical activity and sedentary behavior metrics measured by accelerometry, fall status, and FoF...

BACKGROUND: Physical activity (PA) has multiple benefits for older adults (≥70 years old). Despite this many older adults do not undertake the World Health Organisation guideline recommended amount of PA. This systematic review examines barriers and motivators to PA in adults aged ≥70 years. METHODS: We analysed the quantitative literature, including observational studies and baseline data from randomised controlled trials. Studies examining specific diseases (e...

Regular exercise and community engagement may slow the rate of function loss for people with dementia. However, the evidence is uncertain regarding the cost-effectiveness and social return on investment (SROI) of home exercise with community referral for people with dementia. This study aimed to compare the social value generated from the in-person PrAISED program delivered before March 2020 with a blended PrAISED program delivered after March 2020. SROI methodology compared in-person and blended delivery formats of a home exercise program...

BACKGROUND: Older people with hip fracture are often medically frail, and many do not regain their walking ability and level of physical activity. The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between pre-fracture recalled mobility, fear of falling, physical activity, walking habits and walking speed one year after hip fracture. METHODS: The study had a longitudinal design. Measurements were performed 3-5 days postoperatively (baseline) and at one year after the hip fracture...

PURPOSE: To apply the ESPEN-EASO diagnostic criteria for Sarcopenic Obesity (SO) in older women and to assess its association with the risk of falls, fear of falls (FOF), and bone mineral density (BMD). METHODS: After exclusion criteria, 232 women aged ≥60 years (68.2 ± 6.1) were enrolled in the study. Volunteers had handgrip strength (HGS; dynamometer) and body composition assessed by DXA before risk of falls was evaluated using the QuickScreen and FOF evaluated by the Falls Efficiency Scale...

Introduction: Undergoing complex diagnostic investigation of positron emission tomography-computed tomography (PET-CT) scans is associated with high levels of distress, fear, and anxiety in oncological patients. This study evaluated the effects of a single 20-min session of an innovative mindfulness-based swinging technique (MBST) intervention on emotional distress in cancer patients scheduled for PET-CT scans. Material and Methods: Adult cancer patients undergoing PET-CT scans ( n = 57) were assigned to the intervention group ( n = 27) or the control group ( n = 30)...

BACKGROUND: comprehensive medication management (CMM) can reduce medication-related risks of falling. However, knowledge about inter-individual treatment effects and patient-related barriers remains scarce. OBJECTIVE: to gain in-depth insights into how geriatric patients who have fallen view their medication-related risks of falling and to identify effects and barriers of a CMM in preventing falls. DESIGN: complementary mixed-methods pre-post study, based on an embedded quasi-experimental model...

AIMS: To evaluate factors associated with fall protection motivation to engage in fall preventive behaviour among rural community-dwelling older adults aged 55 and above using the protection motivation theory scale. DESIGN: A cross-sectional study. METHODS: The study was conducted in a healthcare clinic in Malaysia, using multistage random sampling from November 2021 to January 2022. Three hundred seventy-five older adults aged 55 and older were included in the final analysis...

Nick is a 5-year-old boy who began displaying self-stimulating behaviors and decreased social interactions shortly before turning 3 years. At the age of 3.5 years, he was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder by a local developmental-behavioral pediatrician. His parents recall that the physician described Nick to be "high functioning" and encouraged them to expect that he would attend college and live independently as an adult. Upon receiving the diagnosis, intervention was initiated using an applied behavioral analysis (ABA) approach...

The unprecedented challenges of teaching during COVID-19 prompted fears of a mass exodus from the profession. We examine the extent to which these fears were realized using administrative records of Massachusetts teachers between 2015-2016 and 2021-2022. Relative to prepandemic levels, average turnover rates were similar going into the fall of 2020 but increased by 17% (from 15.0% to 17.5%) going into the fall of 2021. The fall 2021 increases were particularly high among newly hired teachers (31% increase) but were lower among Black and Hispanic/Latinx teachers (5% increases among both groups)...

BACKGROUND: Hip fracture always requires hospitalization with high cost, which cause the complicated experiences and feelings. OBJECTIVE: To inform pre- and in-hospital communication practices between healthcare professionals and patients through a systematic review and qualitative research that synthesizes the experiences and feelings of older patients with hip fracture during the perioperative period. METHODS: We searched the Cochrane Library, PubMed, Web of Science, CINAHL, and three Chinese databases for relevant studies...

BACKGROUND: A growing body of research supports dispositional mindfulness as important in influencing physical and mental health as well as physical activities in patients with chronic illnesses. Knee osteoarthritis (OA), which often causes health problems, is one of the most common chronic illnesses, but less is known about dispositional mindfulness in relation to this condition. OBJECTIVE: To explore possible associations between dispositional mindfulness and physical and mental health as well as physical activity in knee OA patients...

OBJECTIVE: This study aims to assess the comparative efficacy of two distinct balancing training intervention strategies, namely, Wii Fit Balance Training (WFT) and Reactive Balance Training (RBT), in reducing older individuals' fear of falling, as well as enhancing their balance and functional mobility. MATERIALS AND METHODS: One of the two groups was randomly assigned a total of 45 individuals. The first group received Wii Fit training, whereas the second group engaged in reactive balancing challenges...

OBJECTIVE: To identify stressors faced by hospital food service workers amid the COVID-19 pandemic and effective interventions mitigating these stressors. METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, we conducted surveys (n = 305) and interviews (n = 9) in the summer and fall of 2022 with employees in hospital settings to determine the psychosocial, organizational, and environmental stressors they faced during the COVID-19 pandemic and interventions that improved health and well-being...

Side effects from chemotherapy-induced myelosuppression can negatively affect patients' quality of life (QoL). Neutropenia increases infection risk, and anemia frequently results in debilitating fatigue. Additionally, the bleeding risk associated with thrombocytopenia can lead to fear and anxiety. However, traditional interventions for myelosuppression fall short of the ideal. Granulocyte colony-stimulating factors reduce the risk of severe neutropenia but commonly lead to bone pain. Erythropoiesis-stimulating agents are not always effective and may cause thromboembolic events, while transfusions to correct anemia/thrombocytopenia are associated with transfusion reactions and volume overload...

OBJECTIVE: To examine whether immersive virtual reality (VR) can improve balance, gait, mobility and fear of falling in older people. DATA SOURCES: MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, PsycINFO, ProQuest Central (Engineering and Computer Science) and reference lists of included articles. STUDY SELECTION: Randomised controlled trials that administered immersive VR training and assessed balance, gait and mobility outcomes in older adults without neurological disorders (mean age ≥ 65)...