The incidence of fear of falling in the elderly:a Meta-analysis
CHEN Yiwan
CHEN Ling
GAO Hui
LI Jianhuo
YAN Xiaochen
ZENG Yan
Abstract：Objective:To comprehensively evaluate the prevalence of fear of falling among older adults through Meta-analysis,providing evidence-based guidance for prevention and intervention strategies.Methods:Cross-sectional studies on the prevalence of fear of falling in older adults were retrieved from CNKI,WanFang Data,VIP,CBM,Cochrane Library,PubMed,Web of Science,and EMbase.The search period spanned from database inception to February 2025.Meta-analysis was performed using Stata 18.0 software.Results:A total of 20 cross-sectional studies were included,involving 12 392 participants.The prevalence of fear of falling among older adults was 48.51%(6 011/12 392).Meta-analysis results indicated a prevalence of 53.2%(95%CI 46.2%-60.2%).Subgroup analysis revealed a higher prevalence of fear of falling among females,older age groups,non-solitary,those with a history of falls,individuals not requiring walking aids,those taking fewer than three medications,and residents of medical and nursing institutions.Conclusion:The prevalence of fear of falling among the elderly is high.Early screening should be implemented,and effective,scientifically grounded interventions should be adopted to reduce the incidence of fear of falling in this population.
Keywords：the elderlyfear of fallingincidence rateMeta-analysisevidence-based nursing
Publication Date：2026-02-25
Online Publishing Date：2026-03-16(First online date of this platform, not the publication date of the document)
Pages：7( 680-686 )