Iranian Journal of Rehabilitation Research in Nursing

Introduction: Activity restrictions due to fear of falling results in muscle atrophy and abnormal posture and consequently results in declining health condition and physical activity in elders. This study aims to determine the relationship between fear of falling and activity restrictions among community dwelling elders in city of Ghaem shahr northern Iran. Methods: This was a cross sectional descriptive-analytical study and community dwelling older people without cognitive problems made up the population of this research. Sample units consisted of 378 elders randomly selected from elderly residents in Ghaem Shahr. The data was collected with demographic and The Survey of Activities and Fear of Falling in the Eldery(SAFFE) questionnaires via interviews. Data was analyzed using SPSS and Mann- Whitney U spearman correlation and Chi-square tests. Results: The mean activity score of participants was (8.58) and the mean activity restriction of the sample was (2.42). The mean score of fear of falling was (4.7). There was a strong positive correlation between fear of falling and activity restriction (r=0.933) and this relationship was statistically significant (p<0.001). Also there were a statistically significant correlation between fear of falling and sex, use of mobility aids and age (p<0.001). Conclusion: Fear of falling causes activity restrictions in the elders, therefore, appropriate measures should be taken by health-care providers to boost self-confidence and alleviate their fears of falling.