The association between fear of falling and motor imagery abilities in older community-dwelling individuals

Abstract

We investigated the association between fear of falling (FoF) and motor imagery (MI) abilities in older people. Cross-sectional data from 3552 French older adults were used to conduct a multiple linear regression analysis looking at the association between FoF and MI abilities after controlling for several factors (e.g. gender, age, history of falls). MI abilities were significantly lower in older adults reporting a FoF compared with those without this fear. The presence of lower MI abilities, reflecting deficits in gait control, may explain why older people with a FoF are at higher risk of falling.

Keywords: Community-dwelling older adults; Falls; Fear of falling (FoF); Motor imagery (MI); Timed up and go (TUG).