Falls Efficacy as a Measure of Fear of Falling
1990/11/01 by M. E. Tinetti, Mary E. Tinetti, David M. Richman +6 · 2,086 citations
Arts and Humanities · Health Professions · Medicine · Psychology · #Activities of daily living #Anxiety #Archaeological and Historical Studies #Balance, Gait, and Falls Prevention #Diabetic Foot Ulcer Assessment and Management #Falling (accident) #Fear of falling #Historical Studies of Medieval Iberia #Injury prevention #Medical emergency #Medicine #Medieval Architecture and Archaeology #Physical medicine and rehabilitation #Poison control #Psychiatry #Psychology #Reliability (semiconductor) #Stroke Rehabilitation and Recovery
paper · doi:10.1093/geronj/45.6.p239
published in Journal of Gerontology 45(6), P239-P243 (Oxford University Press)
openalex publication_date 1990/11/01 · openalex created_date 2016/06/24 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/29
Abstract
We developed the Falls Efficacy Scale (FES), an instrument to measure fear of falling, based on the operational definition of this fear as "low perceived self-efficacy at avoiding falls during essential, nonhazardous activities of daily living." The reliability and validity of the FES were assessed in two samples of community-living elderly persons. The FES showed good test-retest reliability (Pearson's correlation 0.71). Subjects who reported avoiding activities because of fear of falling had higher FES scores, representing lower self-efficacy or confidence, than subjects not reporting fear of falling. The independent predictors of FES score were usual walking pace (a measure of physical ability), anxiety, and depression. The FES appears to be a reliable and valid method for measuring fear of falling. This instrument may be useful in assessing the independent contribution of fear of falling to functional decline among elderly people.
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