Environmental Hazards and Falls among Elderly with Low Back Pain

Abstract

This study aimed to identify the existing environmental hazards and their association with falls among the elderly with LBP. A cross-sectional study involving 284 participants was conducted using Fall Risk Assessment Tools (FRAT), and Home Falls and Accident Screening Tools (HOME FAST). There were 234 respondents included for analysis. Most hazards reported no slip-resistant mats in the bathroom (73.5%). There was no association between environmental hazards and falls among the elderly (p > 0.05). Environmental factors are the indecisive cause of most falls in the institutions, but their interaction with the physical abilities of the elderly could contribute to falls. Keywords: Environmental hazards; Fall; Elderly; Low back pain eISSN: 2398-4287 © 2022. The Authors. Published for AMER ABRA cE-Bs by e-International Publishing House, Ltd., UK. This is an open access article under the CC BYNC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). Peer–review under responsibility of AMER (Association of Malaysian Environment-Behaviour Researchers), ABRA (Association of Behavioural Researchers on Asians/Africans/Arabians) and cE-Bs (Centre for Environment-Behaviour Studies), Faculty of Architecture, Planning & Surveying, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Malaysia. DOI: https://doi.org/10.21834/ebpj.v7i20.3497