Abstract

The performance of 94 elderly subjects (73 women) (71.72 ± 5.64) in an eye–hand and eye–foot coordination test (TST) was correlated with fear of falling, based on the results obtained on the International Fall Efficacy Scale (FES-I), translated into Portuguese. The results revealed that, for the whole sample, there was a weak inverse association between the two (ρ = −0.54, p < 0.05). However, when analyzing the results by gender, this inverse association only remained significant for females (ρ = −0.305, p < 0.01), with no statistical significance for males. Thus, higher levels of fear of falling in the elderly female population were associated with lower levels of eye–segmental coordination. Additionally, men achieved significantly better results in TST than women (9.38 ± 4.70 vs. 4.67 ± 3.13, p < 0.001). Regarding fear of falling, women had significantly higher scores (23.51 ± 7.17 vs. 21.38 ± 7.59, p < 0.05). At the same time, elderly men had higher values of eye–segmental coordination, which may have reduced their fear of falling. Results highlight the importance of the maintenance of a healthy and active lifestyle through the lifespan and place TST as a potential proxy for detecting fear of falling in elderly populations, especially in women. Future studies would benefit from employing balanced, representative samples to validate and extend these results, particularly regarding possible sex-related patterns, as the study relied on a convenience sample that was markedly unbalanced in terms of sex.

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