The impact of social environment on mobility status and occurrenceof falls in older adults. International comparisons

Human populations are aging all over the world and decline in mobility is an age-related problem that limits older adults’ quality of life. One major risk factor for mobility disability in is falls. There are some modifiable risk factors for falls and identifying these factors can help public health professionals to devise proper prevention strategy. Apart from socioeconomic factors of income and education that are among main determinants of health, social capital defined as the quality of social interactions and levels of social cohesion within a community can also impact various health outcomes including the occurrence of falls. The main objective of this research project is to examine associations between social capital and falls in an international sample of older adults from Canada, Brazil, Colombia, and Albania. Using the similar data from different social contexts will help us to better understand the social etiology of falls and to support country-specific public health interventions.

Faculty Supervisor:

Beatriz Alvarado

Student:

Afshin Vafaei

Partner:

Discipline:

Epidemiology / Public health and policy

Sector:

University:

Queen's University

Program:

Globalink