Foot Disorders and Falls in a Population-Based Cohort

描述（由申请人提供）：尽管临床印象是足部疾病是老年人福尔斯和不良事件的常见原因，但几乎没有基于人群的数据支持这一观点。足部疾病作为福尔斯的重要潜在原因经常被忽视，并且很少有工作评估老年人的重要介质，如平衡或步态。福尔斯和足部疾病都是主要的公共卫生问题，随着人口老龄化，这些问题的重要性只会增加。我们建议检查特定足部疾病对福尔斯的影响，并进一步评估平衡或步态是否影响这种关系。我们将把足部疾病的综合评估与观察到的两年随访期间的福尔斯，以及观察到的身体表现、平衡和步态测量联系起来，这些测量可能会改变这种关系。本项目的3个具体目标将检查1）足部疾病和福尔斯之间的纵向关系，2）足部疾病和福尔斯之间的纵向关系，考虑通过平衡不良的途径，3）足部疾病和福尔斯之间的纵向关系，考虑通过步态受损的途径，以及探索鞋类和福尔斯之间关系的次要目标。 检查干预变量或介质是很重要的，因为它们可以澄清足部疾病和福尔斯之间关系的性质，也因为它们是未来干预的潜在目标。没有其他队列将老年人足部疾病的详细信息与全面的纵向福尔斯信息联系起来，迄今为止，还没有研究检查平衡、步态或鞋类在足部疾病和福尔斯人群评价中的作用。拟议的研究将提供重要的信息，协会的密切关注，无论是临床医学和公共卫生领域的老龄化。研究结果将有助于我们设计未来的干预措施，如足部护理、鞋子和特定的设备，以减少老年人福尔斯的风险。这个项目将广泛利用已经资助的项目资助的招募资源和数据收集（主要研究者：L。Lipsitz，Grant #AG 04390，7/01/04 - 06/30/08，“HRCA/哈佛研究疗养院”）。基于初步数据，这项研究将提供新的和重要的信息，足部疾病的作用后，新的福尔斯在老年男性和女性超过两年的后续行动。更好地了解老年人的足部疾病可能会导致更好地了解预防福尔斯的策略。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Despite the clinical impression that foot disorders are a common cause of falls and adverse events in older persons, little population-based data exist to support this view. Foot disorders are often overlooked as significant potential causes of falls and little work has evaluated significant mediators, such as balance or gait in older persons. Both falls and foot disorders represent major public health problems that will only increase in importance as the population ages. We propose to examine the impact of specific foot disorders upon falls, and further to evaluate whether balance or gait affect this relation. We will link a comprehensive assessment of foot disorders to observed falls over a two-year follow-up, as well as to the observed physical performance, balance and gait measures that might modify the relation. Our 3 specific aims of this project will examine the longitudinal relations between 1) foot disorders and falls, 2) foot disorders and falls considering a pathway via poor balance, 3) foot disorders and falls, considering a pathway via impaired gait, and a secondary aim exploring the relation between footwear and falls. It is significant to examine intervening variables, or mediators, as they may clarify the nature of the relation between foot disorders and falls, and also since they are potential targets for future interventions. No other cohort has linked detailed information on foot disorders in elders to comprehensive longitudinal falls information and no study thus far, has examined the roles of balance, gait, or footwear in an population evaluation of foot disorders and falls. The proposed study will provide essential information on associations of keen interest both to clinical medicine and public health in 'he field of aging. Results will help us to design future interventions, such as foot care, shoes and specific devices to reduce the risk of falls among elderly people. This project will make extensive use of the recruitment resources and data collection from an already funded program project grant (Principal Investigator: L. Lipsitz, Grant # AG04390, 7/01/04 - 06/30/08, "HRCA/Harvard Research Nursing Home"). Based on preliminary data, this study will provide new and significant information about the role of foot disorders upon new falls in elderly men and women over a two-year follow-up. A greater understanding of foot disorders in older individuals may lead to better understanding of the strategies to prevent falls.