Many people are under the misconception that fear of falling pertains only to the elderly; however, a study proved this fear also haunts African American middle-aged adults (some as young as 50) with negative repercussions to their health.
In fact, African American middle-aged adults admitted they were so afraid of falling that they have become less active -- creating a cycle that causes frailty and illness.
Fear Facts
The study involved nearly 1,000 African American participants -- some from a poor inner city neighborhood and some from a more prosperous suburban community -- ranging in age from 49-65. Interviewers visited the participants' homes where they asked questions and performed simple health and activity screenings. Results showed:
The fear was higher among inner city residents, compared to those from the suburbs.
Fear of falling and fear-related activity restriction were common and not well explained by prior falls.
One in three participants were afraid of falling (making the fear as common among African American middle-aged adults as it is among the elderly).
The fear was already evident in participants between ages 49-55.
While researchers were unsure exactly why fear of falling was found to be more prominent among inner city residents, one suspicion was that the increased risk of environmental hazards, inadequate resources and socioeconomic disadvantages in a poorer neighborhood might raise the perception of fall risk among resident elders.
Journal of Gerontology: Medical Sciences March 2005;60(3):355-60
Science Blog May 9, 2005
Gary Craig's Comments:
Some people believe fear to be the basis of all negative emotions. While this may or may not be true, along with other negative emotions, fear can certainly be an underlying factor in the cause of chronic disease.
Indeed, unresolved emotional issues such as fear cause "unrest" in the human system and, as such, provide "fertile emotional soil" in which the seeds of disease can sprout. This is clearly evident on the Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) Web site where you can read countless articles linking unresolved emotional issues with disease. Fortunately, EFT can resolve these emotional drags on the system ... often rapidly ... and reduce this obvious contributor to physical problems.
I find the above study on the fear of falling in cities to be interesting. With 14 years of experience using EFT for various fears/phobias, I find that, for many people, the fear of heights (and thus the fear of falling) is confused with an emotional response to "converging lines." This is often because when they look down off of a tall building they see its "converging lines" that appear to merge together toward street level. Thus, when people have a fear response on top of a tall building, it is often because those converging lines give them a feeling of being "sucked down." They inevitably describe this as the fear of falling.
Since cities typically have tall buildings, it is no surprise that this "fear of falling" is more prevalent in cities. Interestingly, this response to converging lines can also occur when one is at street level and looks up toward the tops of the buildings. For a more detailed look at this phenomenon and how EFT can resolve it, see Bonnie's Fear of Stairs.