Abstract
This study was conducted to explore the relationship between anemia and falls in postmenopausal women. The relationships between energy, protein, iron, and vitamin C intake were also checked. The data of this study are a combination of data from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES) collected from the KNHANES VI-2,3 (2014-2015) and VII-1,2,3 (2016-2018). Falls and anemia were compared according to the subjects' characteristics. Phi and Cramer's V coefficient were applied to find the strength of association. Energy, protein, iron, and vitamin C intake and anemia were investigated. The relationship between the status as anemic and the occurrence of falls was analyzed using binary logistic regression. Of the 6665 subjects, 274 had a fall, and 596 had anemia. If the energy intake did not meet the estimated energy requirements, the state of anemia was significantly higher with a weak association. When protein, iron, and vitamin C did not meet the recommended nutrient intake, the anemia state was considerably higher with a weak to moderate association. Postmenopausal women with anemia were more likely to fall than subjects without anemia (OR = 1.88, p = 0.003). Additionally, anemia was confirmed to be related to insufficient energy, protein, iron, and vitamin C intake.