{
  "abstract": "Objectives To identify risk factors associated with falls in older people in rural China.Methods A prospective cohort study was conducted across 27 villages in the rural areas of Ningxia, China. After excluding individuals younger than 60 years, a total of 758 out of the initial 822 participants were ultimately included for the collection of baseline information. Participants were followed up through telephone calls or face-to-face interviews at 3rd, 6th and 12th months following the baseline investigation. The Cox proportional hazards regression model was used to examine risk factors of falls.Results A total of 758 participants underwent baseline information surveys, and all samples were included in the Cox model analysis. The study found that being woman (RR=1.879, 95% CI: 1.313 to 2.668), smoking (RR=1.972, 95% CI: 1.238 to 3.143), use of painkillers (RR=1.700, 95% CI: 1.226 to 2.356) and higher systolic blood pressure (SBP) (RR=1.081, 95% CI: 1.013 to 1.154) were associated with higher risk of falls among the elderly in rural China. After excluding those who were lost to follow-up or deceased, 738 participants completed the follow-up. There were 341 men (46.2%) and 397 women (53.8%), with an average age of 66.8±5.0 years. The fall rate in study area was 23.8% during the follow-up period.Conclusions The fall rate among the elderly in rural China was higher than other areas. Our findings revealed that being woman, smoking, medication usage, elevated SBP and people with a higher body mass index were risk factors for developing falls.",
  "authors": [
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "School of Public Health, Ningxia Medical University, Yinchuan, Ningxia, China",
        "The Key Laboratory of Environmental Factors and Chronic Disease Control of Ningxia, Yinchuan, Ningxia, China"
      ],
      "name": "Qingan Wang"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "The Eighth Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-Sen University, Shenzhen, China"
      ],
      "name": "Guoqi Wang"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "The Second People's Hospital of Gansu Province, Lanzhou, Gansu, China"
      ],
      "name": "Binxia Wang"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "School of Public Health, Ningxia Medical University, Yinchuan, Ningxia, China",
        "The Key Laboratory of Environmental Factors and Chronic Disease Control of Ningxia, Yinchuan, Ningxia, China"
      ],
      "name": "Xiaoxia Li"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "School of Public Health, Ningxia Medical University, Yinchuan, Ningxia, China",
        "The Key Laboratory of Environmental Factors and Chronic Disease Control of Ningxia, Yinchuan, Ningxia, China"
      ],
      "name": "Xiuying Liu"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "School of Public Health, Ningxia Medical University, Yinchuan, Ningxia, China",
        "The Key Laboratory of Environmental Factors and Chronic Disease Control of Ningxia, Yinchuan, Ningxia, China"
      ],
      "name": "Ting Yin"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "School of Public Health, Ningxia Medical University, Yinchuan, Ningxia, China"
      ],
      "name": "Jinyun Jing"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "School of Public Health, Ningxia Medical University, Yinchuan, Ningxia, China",
        "The Key Laboratory of Environmental Factors and Chronic Disease Control of Ningxia, Yinchuan, Ningxia, China"
      ],
      "name": "Yi Zhao"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Risk factors of falls in rural elderly of Ningxia in China: a prospective cohort study",
  "uid": "37729b72-ab44-55d6-bc2d-1792f22fbc73"
}