Is physical activity protective against hip fracture in frail older people?
GROUND: there is limited evidence of a protective effect of physical activity in preventing hip fractures among older people living in institutions and in those aged 80 or over. OBJECTIVE: to examine the relationship between physical activity and risk of hip fracture in frail older people. DESIGN: a case-control study. SETTING: Auckland, New Zealand. SUBJECTS: a random sample of individuals hospitalized with a fracture of the femoral neck (n=911) and 910 randomly selected age- and sex-matched individuals from the lists of a random sample of general practitioners. METHODS: we sought information on physical activity and other potential risk factors for hip fracture from cases and controls, using a standardized interviewer-administered questionnaire. We conducted multivariate analyses, separately for those living in private homes and residential institutions. RESULTS: increasing hours of physical activity per week protected against the risk of hip fracture among individuals living in priv
