Health Science Approaches for Fall and Injury Prevention Editorial
Main Article Content
Keywords
Fall risk, Injuries, Fall-related
Abstract
According to the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS) Injury Program operated by the Consumer Product Safety Commission, falls represent the number one cause of nonfatal injuries, increasing overtime from 2017-2021 (31.89%)1. Indeed, falls and fall-related injuries appear to be a growing concern, especially for an aging population and those with disabilities (e.g., mobility deficits, visual impairments).
One challenge is that falls are multi-faceted, with the likelihood of a fall depending on various factors (e.g., visual, hearing, and muscular strength deficits) that affect balance and increase in prevalence with age. The projected number of individuals aged 40 and above with blindness or low vision will double between 2015 and 2050. Additionally, approximately 27.8% of adults 71 years and older have vision impairment, with 10% having contrast sensitivity impairment2. For those 85 years and older, contrast sensitivity worsens to 22.6%, which affects one’s ability to perceive sharp and clear outcomes of objects. Indeed, low vision negatively impacts one’s ability to do everyday activities, and challenges in identifying key objects compound the risk of falls3-5. Unfortunately, fall risk for individuals with visual impairment is as much as two to three times more than those without visual impairment6, with falls resulting in injury, decreased mobility, and loss of independence7. Given the preventative lenses of the health science field, future research should leverage preventative approaches to reduce fall risks and related injuries.
References
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3. Wood JM, Lacherez P, Black AA, Cole MH, Boon MY, Kerr GK. Risk of Falls, Injurious Falls, and Other Injuries Resulting from Visual Impairment among Older Adults with Age-Related Macular Degeneration. Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science. 2011;52(8):5088-92.
4. Saftari LN, Kwon O-S. Ageing vision and falls: a review. Journal of Physiological Anthropology. 2018;37(1):11.
5. Mehta J, Czanner G, Harding S, Newsham D, Robinson J. Visual risk factors for falls in older adults: a case-control study. BMC Geriatrics. 2022;22(1):134.
6. Kingston JT. Visual Impairment and Falls: Outcomes of Two Fall Risk Assessments after a Four-Week Fall Prevention Program. Journal of Visual Impairment & Blindness. 2018;112(4):411-5.
7. Prevention CDC. Vision Impairment and Older Adult Falls 2021 [updated August 10 2021November 5 2023].