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Subjective vision and hearing impairment and falls among community-dwelling adults: a prospective study in the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE)

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Abstract

Purpose

To investigate the association between vision and hearing impairment and falls in community-dwelling adults aged ≥ 50 years.

Methods

This is a prospective study on 50,986 participants assessed in Waves 6 and 7 of the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe. At baseline, we recorded socio-demographic data, clinical factors and self-reported vision and hearing impairment. We classified participants as having good vision and hearing, impaired vision, impaired hearing or impaired vision and hearing. We recorded falls in the six months prior to the baseline and 2-year follow-up interviews. The cross-sectional and longitudinal associations between vision and hearing impairment categories and falls were analysed by binary logistic regression models; odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated. All analyses were adjusted for socio-demographic and clinical factors.

Results

Mean age was 67.1 years (range 50–102). At baseline, participants with impaired vision, impaired hearing, and impaired vision and hearing had an increased falls risk (OR (95% CI)) of 1.34 (1.22–1.49), 1.34 (1.20–1.50) and 1.67 (1.50–1.87), respectively, compared to those with good vision and hearing (all p < 0.001). At follow-up, participants with impaired vision, without or with impaired hearing, had an increased falls risk of 1.19 (1.08–1.31) and 1.33 (1.20–1.49), respectively, compared to those with good vision and hearing (both p < 0.001); hearing impairment was longitudinally associated with falls in middle-aged women.

Conclusion

Vision impairment was cross-sectionally and longitudinally associated with an increased falls risk. This risk was highest in adults with dual sensory impairment.

Key summary points

AbstractSection Aim

To investigate the relationship between self-reported vision and hearing impairment and falls risk in community-dwelling adults aged ≥ 50 years in the cross-national Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE).

AbstractSection Findings

Self-reported vision impairment, versus no impairment, was cross-sectionally and longitudinally associated with an increased falls risk in adults, independent of age, sex, self-rated health, co-morbidities and medications. The risk was highest when vision and hearing impairment coincided.

AbstractSection Message

Simple questions on self-reported sensory impairment can be used to assess the risk of falls in adults.

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Data availability

Data are available upon request from the SHARE website (see http://www.share-project.org/data-access/user-registration.html).

Code availability

Not applicable.

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Acknowledgements

Dr Giulia Ogliari was supported by grant APP2380/N7359 (OSTEOPOROSIS & FALLS RESEARCH for “Improving Quality of Life in Older Patients”) by Nottingham Hospitals Charity. This paper uses data from SHARE Waves 6 and 7 (DOIs: 10.6103/SHARE.w6.710, 10.6103/SHARE.w7.711 ), see Börsch-Supan et al. (2013) for methodological details [Borsch-Supan A, Brandt M, Hunkler C, et al. SHARE Central Coordination Team. Data Resource Profile: the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE). Int J Epidemiol 2013;42:992–1001]. The SHARE data collection has been funded by the European Commission through FP5 (QLK6-CT-2001-00360), FP6 (SHARE-I3: RII-CT-2006-062193, COMPARE: CIT5-CT-2005-028857, SHARELIFE: CIT4-CT-2006-028812), FP7 (SHARE-PREP: GA N°211909, SHARE-LEAP: GA N°227822, SHARE M4: GA N°261982, DASISH: GA N°283646) and Horizon 2020 (SHARE-DEV3: GA N°676536, SHARE-COHESION: GA N°870628, SERISS: GA N°654221, SSHOC: GA N°823782) and by DG Employment, Social Affairs & Inclusion. Additional funding from the German Ministry of Education and Research, the Max Planck Society for the Advancement of Science, the U.S. National Institute on Aging (U01_AG09740-13S2, P01_AG005842, P01_AG08291, P30_AG12815, R21_AG025169, Y1-AG-4553-01, IAG_BSR06-11, OGHA_04-064, HHSN271201300071C) and from various national funding sources is gratefully acknowledged (see www.share-project.org).

Funding

Dr Giulia Ogliari was supported by grant APP2380/N7359 (OSTEOPOROSIS & FALLS RESEARCH) by Nottingham Hospitals Charity.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Health Care for Older People (HCOP), Queen’s Medical Centre, Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, Derby Road, Nottingham, NG7 2UH, Nottinghamshire, UK

    Giulia Ogliari & Tahir Masud

  2. Department of Geriatric Medicine, Odense University Hospital, Sdr. Boulevard 29, 5000, Odense, Denmark

    Jesper Ryg, Karen Andersen-Ranberg & Tahir Masud

  3. Geriatric Research Unit, Department of Clinical Research, University of Southern Denmark, Sdr. Boulevard 29, 5000, Odense, Denmark

    Jesper Ryg & Karen Andersen-Ranberg

  4. Division of Primary Care, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK

    Nadeem Qureshi

  5. Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Biodemography, Department of Public Health, University of Southern Denmark, J.B. Winslowvej 9B, 5000, Odense, Denmark

    Karen Andersen-Ranberg & Lasse Lybecker Scheel-Hincke

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Contributions

GO: study concept, data analysis, drafting the manuscript. JR, NQ, KAR, LLSH and TM: study concept, critical revision of manuscript for intellectual content. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

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Correspondence to Giulia Ogliari.

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Ogliari, G., Ryg, J., Qureshi, N. et al. Subjective vision and hearing impairment and falls among community-dwelling adults: a prospective study in the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE). Eur Geriatr Med 12, 1031–1043 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s41999-021-00505-4

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