背景與目的:截至目前為止,針對台灣老人跌倒危險因子的相關研究大多為 針對某城市之社區老人或者是針對偏遠地區的鄉鎮來做分析,較少以全國性樣本 為研究對象。過去研究大多以橫斷式研究進行,因此其研究結果較無法判斷跌倒 與其他因子的因果關係。此外,部分研究亦有樣本數較小的缺點。故本研究以具 全國付表性之大樣本為研究對象,探討台灣老人年跌倒與否與跌倒次數的危險因 子。 研究方法:本研究使用 1999 年與 2003 年度國健局「中老年身心社會生活狀 況長期追蹤調查」為資料來源,以縱貫式世付研究探討台灣老人跌倒狀況的危險 因子。統計分析以描述性統計、雙變項分析、二元邏輯斯迴歸分析與多項式邏輯 斯迴歸分析進行。 結果:本研究結果發現,性別(女性)、自覺健康狀況(普通、不太好、很不好)、 大小便失禁(尿失禁)、行動方便程度(方便及普通)、疾病數目(三種疾病以上)等因 素為跌倒與否及跌倒次數的危險因子。 結論:本研究結果發現老人的自覺健康狀況、小便失禁、行動方便程度及疾 病都是跌倒的危險因子,故建議臨床單位醫療機構或是地方社區政府民間單位可 以透過加強老人的身體帄衡狀況、養成老人運動習慣、加強並改善老人用藥安全 及針對老人做預防跌倒的衛教宣導等措施以減少跌倒的風險。
Background and purpose: Past studies on risk factors of falls in elderly in Taiwan mostly focused on specific cities or towns in remote areas. Very few studies used nationally-representative samples for study. Furthermore, most were cross-sectional design or used small sample for study and thus a causal relationship cannot be established. We used a nationally-representative sample of Taiwan to investigate the risk factors of occurrence and frequency of falls. Methods: Data for this longitudinal cohort study came from 1999 and 2003 waves of the Survey of Health and Living Status of the Elderly in Taiwan. Binary and multinomial logistic regression models were used for analyses. Results: Self-perceived health, bladder incontinence, mobility limitation, as well as number of chronic diseases are the risk factors of occurrence and frequency of falling. Conclusion: To reduce the risk of falling, government agencies and health care providers should improve elderly’s balance function, promote regular exercise, improve drug safety, and implement fall-prevention protocols.