ORs were generally higher for recurrent fallers than for all fallers .
This meta- analysis provides comprehensive evidence -based assessment of risk factors for falls in older people , confirming their multifactorial etiology .
Some nonspecific indicators of high baseline risk were also strong predictors of the risk of falling
BACKGROUND Falls are the main cause of accidental death in persons aged 65 years or older .
Self-reported sleep and nap habits and risk of falls and fractures in older women: the study of osteoporotic fractures.
OBJECTIVES To test the association between self-reported sleep and nap habits and risk of falls and fractures in a large cohort of older women . DESIGN Study of Osteoporotic Fractures prospect i ve cohort study . SETTING Clinical centers in Baltimore , Maryl and ; Minneapolis , Minnesota ; Portl and , Oregon ; and the Monongahela Valley , near Pittsburgh , Pennsylvania . PARTICIPANTS Eight thous and one hundred one community-dwelling Caucasian women aged 69 and older ( mean 77.0 ) . MEASUREMENTS  Sleep and nap habits  were assessed using a question naire at the fourth clinic visit ( 1993/94 ) . Fall frequency during the subsequent year was ascertained using tri-annual question naire . Incident hip and nonspinal fractures during 6 years of follow-up were confirmed using radiographic reports . RESULTS Five hundred fifty-three women suffered hip fractures , and 1,938 suffered nonspinal fractures . In multivariate models , women who reported napping daily had significantly higher odds of suffering two or more falls during the subsequent year ( odds ratio=1.32 , 95 % confidence interval (CI)=1.03 - 1.69 ) and were more likely to suffer a hip fracture ( hazard ratio (HR)=1.33 , 95 % CI=0.99 - 1.78 ) than women who did not nap daily . Those sleeping at least 10 hours per 24 hours had a higher risk of nonspinal fracture than ( HR=1.26 , 95 % CI=1.00 - 1.58 ) and a similar but nonsignificant increased risk of hip fracture to ( HR=1.43 , 95 % CI=0.95 - 2.15 ) those who reported sleeping between 8 and 9 hours . CONCLUSION Self-reported long sleep and daily napping are associated with greater risk of falls and fractures in older women . Interventions to improve sleep may reduce their risk of falls and fractures . Future research is needed to determine whether specific sleep disorders contribute to these relationships
ORs were generally higher for recurrent fallers than for all fallers .
This meta- analysis provides comprehensive evidence -based assessment of risk factors for falls in older people , confirming their multifactorial etiology .
Some nonspecific indicators of high baseline risk were also strong predictors of the risk of falling
BACKGROUND Falls are the main cause of accidental death in persons aged 65 years or older .