## 4 Discussion  
This study aimed to understand how HGS, fall efficacy, and balance confidence are associated with fall risk in physically active older adults living in the community and regularly participating in structured exercise programs. Although HGS showed a positive correlation with balance confidence, it was not independently associated with fall risk. In contrast, both fall efficacy and balance confidence were significantly associated with previous falls, highlighting the critical role of psychological factors in fall risk assessment, even in physically active older adults. These findings reinforce what numerous studies have already emphasized: psychological factors play a critical role in fall risk. For example, a recent study found that a score of 20 or higher on the FES-I scale was a strong indicator of fall risk in pre-fail older adults, with a specificity above 70% [25]. Our data support these results as well; participants with higher concern about falling (or lower perceived efficacy) were more likely to have reported a fall in the previous year. Another noteworthy aspect was balance confidence, assessed using the ABC Scale, which also proved to be a significant predictor. This aligns with previous studies [19], which identified low confidence as an independent risk factor for falls, even when controlling physical variables. This is especially relevant, as it shows that older adults' perception of their abilities directly influences motor behaviour, task safety, and ultimately fall risk. Although HGS is widely recognized as a functional marker and a proxy of healthy aging, it was not statistically associated with fall risk in our sample. This lack of a direct effect may be explained by the specific characteristics of our participants, who were all physically active and regularly engaged in structured exercise programs. As suggested by another study [26], muscular strength alone may not be enough to predict falls unless it is accompanied by agility and functional confidence. In their path model, strength influenced fall risk indirectly through agility and fear of falling. This suggests that it is more than just strength in isolation; it is how it is applied in dynamic tasks, alongside perceived safety, that truly matters. The literature also shows that HGS is more consistently associated with fall risk in frailer populations [27]. In more active populations like ours, a ceiling effect has been proposed as a possible explanation, since many participants may have adequate strength levels, making it harder to detect significant differences. However, the variability observed \begin{table}
\begin{tabular}{c c c c c c c} \hline \hline
**Variable** & **8** & **Sig** & **OR** & **95\% CI** & \(p\)**-Value** \\ \hline  & & & & **Inf.** & **Sup.** & \\ \hline
**Grip Strength (female)** & \(-\)0.05 & 0.13 & 0.94 & 0.88 & 1.01 & 0.436 \\
**Constant** & 0.30 & & & & & \\ \hline
**Grip Strength (male)** & \(-\)0.03 & 0.438 & 0.96 & 0.89 & 1.05 & 0.125 \\
**Constant** & \(-\)0.38 & & & & & \\ \hline
**Fall Efficacy** & 1.21 & \(<\)0.001 & 3.37 & 1.70 & 6.67 & \(<\)0.001 \\
**Constant** & \(-\)2.77 & & & & & \\ \hline
**Balance Confidence** & \(-\)0.05 & \(<\)0.001 & 0.95 & 0.93 & 0.97 & \(<\)0.001 \\
**Constant** & 3.130 & & & & & \\ \hline \hline \end{tabular} Legend: OR = odds ratio, CI = 95% confidence interval, Sig = significance, \(\beta\) = regression coefficient.  
\end{table} 
Table 5: L \(<\) Multivariable logistic regression analysis of variables associated with fall risk. in our sample--particularly the presence of lower grip strength values--suggests that this explanation may be limited. Moreover, other studies highlight that in active older adults, other factors, such as polypharmacy, comorbidities, and psychological conditions, play a more prominent role in fall risk than muscular strength alone [28]. The fall rate observed in this study (26.4%) is substantial and aligns with previous studies reporting fall rates (24.4%) among physically active older adults [29].