Mental health, lifestyle factors and subsequent falls among ageing adults in South Africa

The purpose of this study was to evaluate longitudinal associations between mental health and lifestyle factors with falls among rural South Africans in the Agincourt sub-district in Mpumalanga province. We analysed longitudinal data from two consecutive waves of the Health and Ageing in Africa: A Longitudinal Study of an INDEPTH Community in South Africa (HAALSI), comprising 5 059 participants at baseline in 2014/2015 and 4 176 participants at follow-up in 2018/2019. The 2018/2019 survey included data on fall history. The mean age of the participants at baseline was 62.4 years (SD = 13.1 years). The prevalence of subsequent falls was 3.3% and associated with older age, short sleep, persistent depressive symptoms and low hand grip strength. Other fall incident-related factors are sedentary behaviour, functional disability and restless sleep. Those self-reporting physical activity had a lower risk for falls. Fall prevention programmes with rural living and ageing South Africans should target modifiable factors of short sleep, depressive symptoms and sedentary behaviour.