Perceived risk of falling: The relationship to balance and falls in community-dwelling older adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus

Abstract

The purpose of this thesis was to determine the perceived risk of falling and its relationship to balance and falls in older community-dwelling adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM2). Study One was a systematic review of published literature on risk factors for falling in older adults with DM2. Study Two was a prospective cohort study for parameter estimation, the goal was to determine the test-retest reliability, internal consistency, construct validity and factor structure of a falls Risk Perception Questionnaire in older community-dwelling adults with DM2. Study Three was also a prospective cohort study; the goals of this study were to determine the association between perceived of falling and balance in older adults with DM2 and to determine whether older adults alter their perceived risk of falling after receiving feedback about their balance. The information gained from these studies will be used to guide subsequent research as well as falls risk assessment and prevention in older adults with DM2.