Development of fall risk index by the measurement of physical function on the frail elderly

2013 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 23300213
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B)
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Rehabilitation science/Welfare engineering
• Research Institution: Tokyo Health Care University
• Principal Investigator: YAMASHITA Kazuhiko 東京医療保健大学, 医療保健学部, 教授 (00370198)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): SATO Mitsuru 昭和大学, 保健医療学部, 准教授 (10300047) ; OHTA Yuji お茶の水女子大学, 大学院・人間文化創成科学研究科, 教授 (50203807) ; INO Shuichi 独立行政法人産業技術総合研究所, ヒューマンライフテクノロジー研究部門, 研究グループ長 (70250511)
• Project Period (FY): 2011-04-01 – 2014-03-31
• Keywords: 転倒予防 / 介護予防 / 転倒リスク評価 / 虚弱高齢者 / 下肢筋力 / 歩行機能 / バランス機能 / 足部のケア

Research Abstract

Fall fractures in elderly individuals require nursing care and thus the prevention of falls is an urgent matter. From the perspective of physical functioning, the prevention of falls is closely associated with 1. lower limb strength, 2. walking function and 3. balance function. In the present study we developed a measurement system to quantify these 3 items and then measured the physical functioning of close to 500 elderly individuals including frail elderly from a cross-sectional and longitudinal perspective. We subsequently created a fall risk index on the basis of the resulting quantitative measurements.
Using our fall risk index, we performed an interventional study of foot care and exercise. Our results showed an improvement in the 3 examination items, while a simultaneous analysis of medical expenses with subjects revealed that a mean decrease of 50,000 yen from the previous year with a particular decrease of 110,000 yen in the fall risk group.

Research Products

• [Journal Article] 骨粗鬆症検診における骨密度と下肢筋力を用いた転倒リスクの基礎的評価 (2013)
  • Author(s): 山下和彦, 中嶋香奈子, 安在絵美, 楠田佳緒, 佐藤満, 岩上優美, 川澄正史, 太田裕治, 井野秀一, 伊福部達
  • Journal Title: 生体医工学 Volume: 51(1) Pages: 1-8
  • Peer Reviewed
• [Journal Article] An in-shoe device to measure plantar pressure during daily human activity (2011)
  • Author(s): SAITO, K NAKAJIMA, C TAKANO, Y OHTA, C SUGIMOTO, R EZOE, K SASAKI, H HOSAKA, T IFUKUBE, S INO, K YAMASHITA
  • Journal Title: Medical Engineering & Physics Volume: 33(5) Pages: 638-645
  • Peer Reviewed
• [Book] Evaluation of physical functions for fall prevention among the elderly (2012)
  • Author(s): kazuhiko YAMASHITA
  • Total Pages: 119-138
  • Publisher: CRC Press
• [Book] 人間健康福祉工学ハンドブック (2012)
  • Author(s): 山下和彦(編著)
  • Publisher: 朝倉書店