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Dizziness as a geriatric condition among rural community-dwelling older adults

  • Dizziness as a Geriatric Condition Among Rural Community-Dwelling Older Adults
  • Published:
The journal of nutrition, health & aging

Abstract

Background

Dizziness is a common symptom in older adults. The majority of those with dizziness tend to have more than one risk factor, suggesting that dizziness is a multifactorial geriatric condition. Therefore, associated factors must be determined to permit risk-reduction approaches.

Objective

To examine the associations between dizziness and socio-demographic, physical, functional and psychological health factors among older persons living in the Andes Mountains.

Design

Population-based cross-sectional study.

Settings/Participants

One thousand six hundred ninety-two community-living people aged 60 years and over living in four rural and suburban areas of villages in coffee-grower zones in the Colombian Andes Mountains.

Measurements

Outcome measures included self-reporting of dizziness as a symptom experienced either very frequently or continuously during the last month. Independent variables were demographic, socioeconomic and social factors; disease and biomedical factors; functional status and performance-based measures; and psychological factors such as depressive symptoms and self-rated health.

Results

Dizziness was reported by 15.2% of participants in the study. Variables independently associated with dizziness were: number of chronic conditions, visual impairment, and use of more than four medications. Independently associated psychological variables were: poor self-perceived health, cognitive impairment and depression. Health and psychological factors accounted for 85% of dizziness.

Conclusion

Older persons who reported dizziness were more physically frail, with more instances of chronic conditions and sensory impairments, and had poor self-perceptions of their health. Biomedical and psychological factors showed a strong independent association with dizziness. A multifactorial intervention targeting the identified factors would reduce dizziness in older people. However, this approach may need to address different sets of specific factors related to the dizziness categories.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Research Group on Geriatrics and Gerontology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Caldas, Manizales, Colombia

    F. Gomez & C.L. Curcio

  2. International Association of Gerontology and Geriatrics Collaborative Centre, Penrith, Australia

    F. Gomez & C.L. Curcio

  3. Department of Geriatric Medicine, Sydney Medical School-Nepean Campus, University of Sydney, Penrith, New South Wales, Australia

    G. Duque

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  1. F. Gomez
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  2. C.L. Curcio
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  3. G. Duque
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Gomez, F., Curcio, C. & Duque, G. Dizziness as a geriatric condition among rural community-dwelling older adults. J Nutr Health Aging 15, 490–497 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12603-011-0050-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12603-011-0050-4

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