Background
Malnutrition is a well-known risk factor of falls, although studies examining the association between nutritional status and falls are rare. We aimed to investigate the association between nutritional status and falls according to gender among Korean older adults.
Methods
The study included 10,675 participants (4,605 men and 6,070 women) aged 65 years and older and used data from the 2011 Survey of Living Conditions and Welfare Needs of Korean Older Persons. Nutritional status of the participants was assessed using the Nutritional Screening Initiative checklist, and the participants were categorized into the following groups: “good,” “moderate nutritional risk,” and “high nutritional risk.” Odds ratios (OR) of fall risk in the above groups based on gender were evaluated using multivariate logistic regression analyses.
Results
Fallers in both genders showed significant association with older age, lower household income, inadequate exercise, and poor nutritional status compared with non-fallers. Considering the good nutritional status group as the reference group, the high nutritional risk group showed a higher risk of falls in men (OR, 1.59; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.26–1.99); both moderate and high nutritional risk groups showed a higher risk of falls after adjusting for confounding factors in women (OR, 1.39; 95% CI, 1.19–1.62 and OR, 1.90; 95% CI, 1.61–2.24, respectively).
Conclusion
The risk of falls was associated with poor nutritional status, and statistical significance of the association between nutritional status and falls was stronger in women than in men.

Citations

• Mapping sex and gender differences in falls among older adults: A scoping review
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  Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.2024; 72(3): 903.     CrossRef
• Temporal trends and the association between self-rated oral health and falls in community-dwelling older adults in South Korea: a secondary analysis of survey data
  Hyun-Ju Seo, Soon-Ki Ahn, Min-Jung Choi
  BMJ Open.2024; 14(4): e081549.     CrossRef
• Age and Gender Differences in Fall-Related Factors Affecting Community-Dwelling Older Adults
  Minhee SUH, Da Hye KIM, Insook CHO, Ok Kyung HAM
  Journal of Nursing Research.2023; 31(2): e270.     CrossRef
• Development of a protein energy malnutrition screening tool for older Thais in public residential homes
  Thitima Phodhichai, Warapone Satheannoppakao, Mathuros Tipayamongkholgul, Carol Hutchinson, Siriphan Sasat
  Public Health Nutrition.2022; 25(3): 565.     CrossRef
• Current status of nutrient intake in Korea: focused on macronutrients
  Seung-Won Oh
  Journal of the Korean Medical Association.2022; 65(12): 801.     CrossRef