Fear of falling and activity levels in younger obese women
Research type
Research Study
Full title
To quantitatively explore fear of falling and activity levels in younger obese women
IRAS ID
137069
Contact name
Gilly Rosic
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Central Lancashire
Research summary
This is the second phase of a study project looking into the reasons why obese adults are not physically active. There is limited research looking at activity restrictions in obese adults, and most published studies have been in the elderly. A previous exploratory qualitative study looking at the physical restrictions of obesity suggested fear of falling might be an issue in younger obese women, mediated by both age and activity levels and could lead to avoidance of activity in some individuals. A conceptual framework of fear of falling in obese women was developed from the results of this study including physical and psychological mediating factors and domains. To support these findings it would be useful to carry out a quantitative study to measure fear of falling in a similar population of obese women using a validated fear of falling measurement tool. The main aim of this study would be to measure the prevalence of falls and fear of falling in a group of younger obese women and compare the results with other published studies using the same tool to assess its feasibility for use in this population. In addition the study would explore the relationship between fear of falling, activity levels and other variables such as age, previous falls, anxiety and depression in younger obese women by using additional validated tools to measure activity and anxiety and depression. All the measures used will be self administered questionnaires. It is hoped the results will help inform future interventions to improve activity participation in overweight women and take account of issues of fear of falling that some individuals might have.
REC name
North East - York Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
14/NE/0064
Date of REC Opinion
5 Mar 2014
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion