Exercise regularly to prevent falling, suggests study

The study conducted by the scientists from the epidemiology department at the University of Pittsburgh aimed at analyzing the number of falls experienced by people and the various causes leading to the falls.

10615 people studied
The researchers looked at the data of 10615 people who had participated in the Aerobics Center Longitudinal Study from 1970 to 1989 and in a follow-up survey conducted in 1990.

They were asked if they had had a fall in the previous year and the activity during which they fell.

Further a treadmill test, which recorded the number of minutes of aerobic exercise undertaken by them every week, was administered to the participants.

Results of the study
20 percent of the participants aged between 20 and 87 years had fallen within the previous year.

Around 15 percent of them fell while walking. Doing sports, exercising or getting out a tub were other common activities reported by them.

Women were 2.8 times more likely to fall when walking, but fitness levels made a difference in men falling while it did not for women.

Men who were less fit were 2.2 times more prone to falling than the men with healthy and perfectly toned bodies.

"We were surprised to find that fitness and physical activity seem to have a stronger relationship with walking-related falls in men compared with women," lead author Dr. Kristin Mertz, in the epidemiology department at the University of Pittsburgh, said in a Center for the Advancement of Health news release.

The ones who exercised for about 2 hours a week reported falling less.

The people who did not exercise at all lacked the protection owned by those who exercised regularly, claimed the study.

There wasn’t much difference between the youngsters and the seniors regarding the number of falls experienced by them.

"We were not surprised that people 65 and older were no more likely to report falling than younger people, given that younger people are more likely to engage in more risky activities, such as standing on ladders, running and playing sports," Mertz said.

Thus, exercises including physical activities can help decline the tumbling rate in people, giving them a better balancing capability.

The study was published online and in the July print issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.