Abstract
This study identifies factors associated with concern about falling (CaF) among full-time wheelchair and scooter (WC/S) users. Findings help identify WC/S users who may develop CaF and inform OT interventions to manage CaF for WC/S users.
Primary Author and Speaker: Elizabeth Walker Peterson
Additional Authors and Speakers: Sahel Moein
Contributing Authors: Laura Rice
Among people who use wheelchairs/scooters (WC/S), falls and concerns about falling (CaF) are common. Activity curtailment and associated deconditioning resulting from CaF may lead to increased fall risk and compromise community participation among WC/S users (1). Research in this area is limited and needed to inform OT practice. This descriptive, cross-sectional study aimed to identify factors associated with CaF among full-time (>20 hours/week) WC/S users. Adults with various health conditions (N=137) who used WC/S full-time for ≥ 1 year and experienced ≥ 1 fall in the past 3 years were recruited via newsletters and registries and participated in an online survey. Demographic, clinical, psychological, and environmental variables were evaluated using path analysis to determine their association with CaF, as measured by the Fall Concern Scale for Wheelchair and Scooter Users (FCS_WC/S) (2). Results showed that being younger (β = -.01, P = .02), having higher levels of chronic dizziness (β = .07, P = .00), experiencing >1 fall-related injury in the past year (β = .43, P = .00), inability to get up from the ground independently after a fall (β = .32, P = .01), and lower levels of depression (β = -.04, P = .01) were associated with increased CaF levels. These findings point to specific, multifactorial influences on CaF among WC/S users. Impact statement: Findings help identify WC/S users who may develop CaF and inform OT interventions to manage CaF. Findings advance research involving WC/S users by identifying independent variables to include in prospective studies undertaken to determine risk factors for CaF.
Sung, J., Shen, S., Peterson, E. W., Sosnoff, J. J., Backus, D., & Rice, L. A. (2020). Fear of Falling, Community Participation, and Quality of Life Among Community-Dwelling People Who Use Wheelchairs Full Time. Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apmr.2020.11.013
Rice, L.A., Johnson, S., Stauffer, C., Peterson, E.W., Kim, E. (2023). Development and Preliminary Reliability and Validity of the Falls Concern Scale for Wheelchair and Scooter Users – FCS-W/C+S. Assistive Technology, 35(sup1), S1–S39. https://doi.org/10.1080/10400435.2023.2198437