"Association between dorsiflexor muscle strength, functional balance, and fear of falling in older adults from the ASA Program."

ABSTRACT
Introduction: According to the World Health Organization (2015), population ageing is a major global public health challenge. Age-related declines in physical abilities, including reduced muscle strength, impaired balance strategies and deficits in postural control, negatively affect older adults’ quality of life and increase the risk of falls. Promoting functional autonomy and active ageing is therefore essential.
Objective: To analyse the association between dorsiflexor muscle strength, functional balance and fear of falling in older adults participating in the ASA Programme.
Methodology: This cross-sectional analytical observational study included 60 older adults participating in the ASA Programme, recruited through convenience sampling. Participants were characterised using a sociodemographic and clinical questionnaire developed for this study. Assessments included handheld dynamometry (ActivForce 2) to measure maximal isometric dorsiflexor strength, the Berg Balance Scale to assess functional balance, and the Short Falls Efficacy Scale (FES-I) to evaluate fear of falling. Statistical analysis was performed using IBM SPSS Statistics version 31.0.
Results: Sixty older adults participated, with a mean age (SD) of 73.35 (5.06) years, and 70.0% were female. Significant positive correlations were found between dorsiflexor muscle strength and functional balance for the left lower limb (r = 0.373; p = 0.003) and the right lower limb (r = 0.471; p < 0.001). No significant associations were observed between muscle strength and fear of falling (p > 0.05). Functional balance showed a weak negative, non-significant correlation with fear of falling (r = -0.246; p = 0.058). A strong positive correlation was found between right and left dorsiflexor muscle strength (r = 0.790; p < 0.001).
Conclusion: Higher dorsiflexor muscle strength was significantly associated with better functional balance in older adults. No significant associations were found between muscle strength and fear of falling, or between functional balance and fear of falling.