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NEW YORK (Reuters Health) -

Chores, not leisure, tied to older men’s fall risk . Household activities undertaken by elderly men appear to have more to do with their risk of suffering a fall than the activities they pursue in their leisure time, a new study shows.
Such household activities may include potentially risky tasks such as clearing rain gutters, pruning trees, or shoveling snow and ice, Benjamin K. S. Chan of Oregon Health and Science University in Portland and colleagues point out. “If community-dwelling older adults lack alternative resources for assistance, be it financial (to pay someone to do such tasks) or social (a nearby able-bodied relative or friend), they may put themselves at risk of falling by attempting to complete such tasks themselves,” Chan and his team note in the American Journal of Epidemiology.
The researchers followed 5,995 men 65 and older who were living independently to identify factors associated with their risk of falling.

The most active men were significantly more likely to fall than their more sedentary peers. While there was no association between leisure time activity and fall risk, the men who reported spending the most time on household activities were at increased risk of falling compared to those who did the least around the house.

Chan and his colleagues also found that men with the strongest grip strength and strongest legs were the least likely to suffer falls.

A study of osteoporotic fractures in women found that those with the least family support were at greater risk of falls, the researchers note. These findings “suggested that maintaining or increasing contacts with family may reduce fall risk, possibly because of increased support with everyday activities, decreased risk taking, and specific education about risks,” they add. “Our data corroborate this finding and suggest intervention strategies for future studies.”

SOURCE: American Journal of Epidemiology, March 15, 2007.

Reuters Health