Poor sleep quality (PSQI score >9.5) emerged as the only variable significantly associated with fall history in older adults with T2DM, suggesting that fall risk in this population 'is a multidimensional construct' influenced more by behavioral and psychological factors than isolated motor metrics.
TUG and TUG-DT times were significantly longer in adults with T2DM compared to healthy controls.
TUG-DT performance was significantly more impaired in the T2DM group, with increased cognitive errors, cognitive pauses, and movement pauses.
Postural stability and visual preference differed significantly between the T2DM group and healthy controls.
Depression scores and lifestyle factors including smoking and exercise behavior differed significantly between the T2DM and control groups.
Within the T2DM group, PSQI (Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index) score was the only variable significantly associated with fall history in logistic regression analysis.
ROC analysis showed that PSQI had acceptable discriminative ability for identifying fallers among adults with T2DM, with an optimal cut-off score of 9.5.
The study concluded that fall risk in individuals with T2DM is a multidimensional construct primarily influenced by behavioral and psychological factors rather than isolated motor metrics.
This study examined what factors are associated with a history of falls in older adults with type 2 diabetes (T2DM), comparing 30 people with T2DM to 30 healthy adults of similar age and gender. Researchers looked at walking and balance performance, sleep quality, depression, fear of falling, and lifestyle habits like smoking and exercise. They found that people with T2DM walked more slowly, made more mental errors, and paused more often during a walking-while-thinking test (called the Dual-Task Timed Up and Go, or TUG-DT) compared to healthy controls. They also showed poorer balance, higher depression scores, smoked more, and exercised less. When the researchers looked specifically at which T2DM patients had a history of falling versus those who had not, poor sleep quality—measured by a standard questionnaire called the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI)—was the only factor that statistically predicted fall history. A PSQI score above 9.5 identified past fallers with 72.7% sensitivity and 84.2% specificity. Notably, the walking and balance tests, despite showing clear differences between the T2DM and healthy groups, did not independently predict who had fallen within the T2DM group. This research suggests that fall prevention programs for older adults with type 2 diabetes should look beyond physical fitness and mobility assessments alone. Screening for poor sleep quality may be a practical and important step in identifying individuals at higher fall risk. Because this was a cross-sectional study (a snapshot in time with a relatively small sample of 60 participants), it cannot prove that poor sleep causes falls, but it highlights sleep as a potentially important and modifiable target for further investigation and intervention.
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Upload Your LabsZhang X, Wang S, Sun C, Li S, Hu Y. (2026). Dual-task timed up and go performance and sleep quality in relation to fall history in older adults with type 2 diabetes: a cross-sectional study.. Frontiers in public health. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2026.1856870