Abstract

Objectives:

To examine the association between previous-year fall history and eyes-open one-leg standing time among employees aged 50-65 years.

Methods:

This worksite-based cross-sectional study invited 115 employees of a Japanese transportation company; 106 enrolled and 100 with complete, valid records were analyzed. Fall history was defined as at least one self-reported fall during daily life in the previous year. Eyes-open one-leg standing was measured twice, with the longer value used and a maximum of 120 seconds. Group comparisons, age- and body mass index-adjusted logistic regression, and receiver operating characteristic analysis were performed.

Results:

The sample included 98 men and 2 women; 60 reported a fall. Median standing time was shorter with than without fall history (45.48 versus 76.74 seconds; p=0.018). The adjusted odds ratio per 10-second increase was 0.90 (95% confidence interval, 0.81-0.99; p=0.035). The area under the curve was 0.64 (95% confidence interval, 0.53-0.74).

Conclusions:

Shorter standing time was associated with previous-year fall history, but discrimination was limited. The test may support worksite fall-risk awareness and further assessment, but should not be used alone for diagnosis or employment decisions.