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1. Perceived Balance, Balance Performance, and Falls Among Community-Dwelling Older Adults: A Retrospective, Cross-Sectional Study

   https://doi.org/10.1177/08982643241242518  

   Dolan, Hanne R; Pohl, Janet; Pituch, Keenan; Coon, David W (March 2025, Journal of Aging and Health)

   Objectives: To examine the extent to which older adults’ perceived balance, a balance performance test, and fear of falling (FOF) were associated with falls in the last month. Methods: The Health Belief Model served as the theoretical framework. A retrospective, cross-sectional, secondary analysis using data from the National Health and Aging Trends Study was conducted ( N = 7499). Results: Multiple logistic regression analysis revealed that the odds of reporting a fall in the past month were 3.3 times ( p < .001) greater for participants who self-reported having a balance problem compared to those who did not. The Short Physical Performance Battery and FOF were not uniquely associated with falls. Discussion: Our findings support limited evidence suggesting that older adults’ perceived balance is a better predictor of falls than balance performance. Assessing older adults’ perceived balance may be a new way to assess older adults’ fall risk to prevent future falls. 

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2. Prediction of fall risk among community-dwelling older adults using a wearable system

   https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-00458-5  

   Lockhart, Thurmon E.; Soangra, Rahul; Yoon, Hyunsoo; Wu, Teresa; Frames, Christopher W.; Weaver, Raven; Roberto, Karen A. (December 2021, Scientific Reports)

   Abstract Falls are among the most common cause of decreased mobility and independence in older adults and rank as one of the most severe public health problems with frequent fatal consequences. In the present study, gait characteristics from 171 community-dwelling older adults were evaluated to determine their predictive ability for future falls using a wearable system. Participants wore a wearable sensor (inertial measurement unit, IMU) affixed to the sternum and performed a 10-m walking test. Measures of gait variability, complexity, and smoothness were extracted from each participant, and prospective fall incidence was evaluated over the following 6-months. Gait parameters were refined to better represent features for a random forest classifier for the fall-risk classification utilizing three experiments. The results show that the best-trained model for faller classification used both linear and nonlinear gait parameters and achieved an overall 81.6 ± 0.7% accuracy, 86.7 ± 0.5% sensitivity, 80.3 ± 0.2% specificity in the blind test. These findings augment the wearable sensor's potential as an ambulatory fall risk identification tool in community-dwelling settings. Furthermore, they highlight the importance of gait features that rely less on event detection methods, and more on time series analysis techniques. Fall prevention is a critical component in older individuals’ healthcare, and simple models based on gait-related tasks and a wearable IMU sensor can determine the risk of future falls. 

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3. Prevalence and Correlates of Long COVID Symptoms Among US Adults

   https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2022.38804  

   Perlis, Roy H.; Santillana, Mauricio; Ognyanova, Katherine; Safarpour, Alauna; Lunz Trujillo, Kristin; Simonson, Matthew D.; Green, Jon; Quintana, Alexi; Druckman, James; Baum, Matthew A.; et al (October 2022, JAMA Network Open)

   ImportancePersistence of COVID-19 symptoms beyond 2 months, or long COVID, is increasingly recognized as a common sequela of acute infection. ObjectivesTo estimate the prevalence of and sociodemographic factors associated with long COVID and to identify whether the predominant variant at the time of infection and prior vaccination status are associated with differential risk. Design, Setting, and ParticipantsThis cross-sectional study comprised 8 waves of a nonprobability internet survey conducted between February 5, 2021, and July 6, 2022, among individuals aged 18 years or older, inclusive of all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Main Outcomes and MeasuresLong COVID, defined as reporting continued COVID-19 symptoms beyond 2 months after the initial month of symptoms, among individuals with self-reported positive results of a polymerase chain reaction test or antigen test. ResultsThe 16 091 survey respondents reporting test-confirmed COVID-19 illness at least 2 months prior had a mean age of 40.5 (15.2) years; 10 075 (62.6%) were women, and 6016 (37.4%) were men; 817 (5.1%) were Asian, 1826 (11.3%) were Black, 1546 (9.6%) were Hispanic, and 11 425 (71.0%) were White. From this cohort, 2359 individuals (14.7%) reported continued COVID-19 symptoms more than 2 months after acute illness. Reweighted to reflect national sociodemographic distributions, these individuals represented 13.9% of those who had tested positive for COVID-19, or 1.7% of US adults. In logistic regression models, older age per decade above 40 years (adjusted odds ratio [OR], 1.15; 95% CI, 1.12-1.19) and female gender (adjusted OR, 1.91; 95% CI, 1.73-2.13) were associated with greater risk of persistence of long COVID; individuals with a graduate education vs high school or less (adjusted OR, 0.67; 95% CI, 0.56-0.79) and urban vs rural residence (adjusted OR, 0.74; 95% CI, 0.64-0.86) were less likely to report persistence of long COVID. Compared with ancestral COVID-19, infection during periods when the Epsilon variant (OR, 0.81; 95% CI, 0.69-0.95) or the Omicron variant (OR, 0.77; 95% CI, 0.64-0.92) predominated in the US was associated with diminished likelihood of long COVID. Completion of the primary vaccine series prior to acute illness was associated with diminished risk for long COVID (OR, 0.72; 95% CI, 0.60-0.86). Conclusions and RelevanceThis study suggests that long COVID is prevalent and associated with female gender and older age, while risk may be diminished by completion of primary vaccination series prior to infection. 

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4. “It just isn’t the same”: altered routines among older Americans three years after the COVID-19 pandemic onset

   https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2025.1573302  

   Milan, Rebecca A; Sagehorn, Mallory_A P; Perera, Rohini; Bowman, Grace I; Finlay, Jessica (July 2025, Frontiers in Public Health)

   IntroductionThe COVID-19 pandemic significantly disrupted civic life, particularly for older adults at increased risk for severe morbidity and mortality. Yet, little is known about the longer-term impacts on their daily routines and how this may affect health and wellbeing. MethodsThis qualitative study utilized data from older US adults who participated in the COVID-19 Coping Study’s three-year follow-up online survey, conducted in April–May 2023. The primary aim was to understandhowandwhydaily routines have changed among older Americans (N = 1,309). ResultsParticipants had an average age of 71 years, with approximately 74% female and 93% identifying as Non-Hispanic White. We conducted content and thematic analysis of open-ended survey responses to identify five key reasons for still-altered routines 3 years after the pandemic onset: (1) COVID-19 risk and exposure, (2) altered access, (3) broader life circumstances, (4) emotional health, and (5) physical health. DiscussionThese findings highlight the enduring impacts of the pandemic on older adults’ routines and underscore the importance of integrating public health strategies that prioritize routine stability to enhance mental, physical, and social health. To support older adults’ wellbeing during and beyond public health emergencies, we recommend strengthening community-based programs, improving access to health and social services, and designing adaptable interventions that help individuals rebuild and maintain meaningful daily routines. 

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5. Females Present Reduced Minimum Toe Clearance During Walking As Compared to Males in Active Older Adults

   https://doi.org/10.1093/gerona/glae109  

   Faria, Aurélio; Sousa, Tiago; Vaz, João R; Gabriel, Ronaldo; Gama, Jorge; Stergiou, Nikolaos (July 2024, The Journals of Gerontology, Series A: Biological Sciences and Medical Sciences)

   Lipsitz, Lewis A (Ed.)

   Abstract BackgroundPhysical decline due to aging has been associated with the risk of falls. Minimum toe clearance (MTC) is a gait parameter that might play a role in the mechanism of tripping and falling. However, it is unclear if there are any sex-related effects regarding MTC as people age. The present study investigated if there are sex-related differences in MTC in older active adults. MethodsTwenty-three females and 23 males (F: 65.5 ± 4.8 years; M: 61.9 ± 5.2 years) walked on a treadmill at a preferred walking speed, while kinematic data were obtained at a sampling frequency of 100 Hz and up-sampled to 120 and 240 Hz. MTC was calculated from the kinematics data and evaluated concerning its magnitude (ie, MTC and MTC/leg length), the time between left/right MTC (ie, T-MTC), amount of variability (ie, coefficient of variation [CV] and coefficient of variation modified [CVm]), and temporal structure of variability, that is, the complexity of the time series (ie, MTC α, T-MTC α). ResultsNo sex effects were found for MTC/leg length, for the amount of variability (ie, CV and CVm), and for the complexity of the time series (MTC α, T-MTC α). However, females exhibited significantly lower MTC and T-MTC after adjusting for walking speed, mass, and age as covariates. ConclusionsThe reduced MTC in females suggests a potential sex-related disparity in the risk of tripping and falling among active older adults. 

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