Abstract: Objective To investigate the prevalence of geriatric syndrome and the incidence of falls among the elderly in community, and to explore the related risk factors of falls. Methods Using cluster random sampling, 90 cases were selected from each of the six communities in Taiyuan. There were 540 cases included. And the subjects received the assessment of self-designed manual, including the general sociodemographic characteristics, the prevalence of chronic diseases, and the common senile syndromes. The relationship between the results of the assessment and the occurrence of falls in the community elderly in the past 2 years was analyzed. Results The incidence of falls within 2 years in 513 elderly people in the community was 25.1%. Single factor analysis showed that gender, age, number of chronic diseases, living environment, pain degree, vision status, nutritional status, insomnia status, ability of daily living, 5 sit-ups test, 3-meter rise-walking test were associated with the incidence of fall among elderly in communities (P<0.05); The results of multivariate analysis showed that age[OR(95%CI)=1.856(1.123-3.068)], obesity [OR(95%CI)=2.772(1.349-5.695)], severe disability of daily living [OR(95%CI)=3.045(1.168-7.940)], the number of chronic diseases[OR(95%CI)=1.615(1.026-2.542)], visual acuity[OR(95%CI)=3.139(1.256-7.842)], and suspicious insomnia and insomnia [OR(95%CI)=1.900(1.055-3.421), 2.501(1.428-4.381)] were the independent factors influencing the occurrence of fall in the elderly in community (P<0.05). Conclusions The incidence of fall is high in the elderly. Age≥70 years old, obesity, the number of chronic diseases≥ 2, severe dysfunction of the ability of daily living, visual impairment affecting normal life, suspicious insomnia and insomnia can increase the risk of fall in the elderly in community.

Key words: aged, comprehensive geriatric assessment, geriatric syndrome, chronic disease, fall risk, community