Estudio de la relación entre la densidad mineral ósea y la composición corporal con el equilibrio postural, el riesgo de caídas y la calidad de vida en mujeres postmenopáusicas. Validación del cuestionario de calidad de vida QUALEFFO-31

Abstract

Falls are one of the leading causes of fractures and impaired quality of life in the elderly, and they are related to balance deficit and to fear of falls. Menopause is related to bone mineral density (BMD) loss and body morphology alterations. In this study, we have obtained the Spanish version of the QUALEFFO-31 questionnaire and checked its psychometric properties. We have also concluded that, in Spanish postmenopausal women aged 50-65, low BMD is associated to a worse postural control in open eyes Romberg’s test and to a higher fear of falling, whereas women with normal weight and gynoid fat mass distribution show a better balance than those with overweight or obesity and uniform or android distribution respectively. Finally, women with low BMD and obesity show worse quality of life (QUALEFFO-31), while there are no significant differences according to fat mass distribution.