SELF-REPORTED FALL RISK AND FEAR OF FALLING OF OLDER ADULTS: THE MEDIATING AND MODERATING IMPACT OF HEALTH LITERACY
2024
Health Literacy and Fear of Falling in Older Adults
Sample size: 176
publication
Evidence: moderate
Author Information
Author(s): Kim Dahee, Thiamwong Ladda, Emrich Christopher, Li Yingru, Xie Rui
Primary Institution: University of Central Florida
Hypothesis
Health literacy moderates the relationship between self-reported fall risk and fear of falling in older adults.
Conclusion
Health literacy helps reduce the fear of falling in older adults who perceive a higher risk of falls.
Supporting Evidence
- Health literacy moderated the relationship between fall risk and fear of falling.
- Older adults with low health literacy showed higher fear of falling with increased fall risk.
- Older adults with high health literacy reported lower fear of falling despite higher perceived fall risk.
Takeaway
Older people who feel more at risk of falling are more scared of falling, but if they understand health better, they can feel less scared.
Methodology
Data was collected from community-dwelling older adults using self-reported measures and analyzed with SPSS PROCESS Macro.
Participant Demographics
Community-dwelling older adults with a mean age of 74.49 years.
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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