Paper Title
The Relationship Between the Cognition of Changing Posture and Falling Events In Local Elderly Persons

Abstract
The objective of the present study is to reveal the relationship between the cognition of changing posture and falling events in local elderly persons. Questionnaires were sent to 1,000 elderly persons living in A Prefecture by mail to conduct a questionnaire survey. Survey items included basic attributes (sex, age, family structure), height, weight, Instrumental Activity of Daily Living (IADL), self-perceived health, whether or not having cognition of changing posture, experience of falling events and current walking ability (experience of falling events during the last year, anxiety about falling events, use of a stick or walking aid, cognition of walking speed), and social activities (whether or not having ever visited friends� houses, whether or not calling out to younger persons sometimes). The survey was conducted in September 2014. The recovery rate was 62.9%. The analysis was conducted on 563 responders (valid response rate: 56.3%) excluding those who gave no answer to the question about basic attributes and cognition of changing posture. Comparison was conducted between two groups; one is a group of the responders with cognition of changing posture and the other is a group of the responders without cognition. No significant difference in cognition of changing posture was observed all in terms of self-perceived health, BMI index, and IADL. No significant difference in falling events was observed during the last year; however, statistically significant differences were observed in the group of the responders �with cognition� of changing posture, in terms of �deeper anxiety� about falling and �walking speed slower than previous speed�. Moreover, the number of positive answers was significantly small to the questions �whether or not having ever visited friends� houses� and �whether or not calling out to younger persons sometimes� in this group. This suggests that the recognition of changing posture is not related to easiness to fall but most of the elderly persons, who become aware of changing posture, have fear of declined lower extremities and falling. Accordingly, they tended to decrease social activities such as opportunities to go out and interact with people, staying indoor. Keywords� Local elderly Persons, Cognition of Changing Posture, Falling.