• Injury · Jan 2012

    Longer term health of young and middle-aged adults following unintentional falls at home resulting in hospitalisation.

    • Josephine Williams, Bridget Kool, Elizabeth Robinson, and Shanthi Ameratunga.
    • Selwyn Foundation, Auckland, New Zealand.
    • Injury. 2012 Jan 1; 43 (1): 103-8.

    UnlabelledUnintentional falls at home are a common cause of admissions to hospital amongst young and middle-aged adults. This population-based study investigated the longer-term health, physical and psychological outcomes following such injuries, and the predictors of these sequelae.MethodIndividuals aged 25-60 years admitted to hospital in the Auckland region between July 2005 and June 2006 following an unintentional fall at home were interviewed soon after the injury (baseline) and 15-months following the injury. Information collected at baseline on pre-injury status was analysed in relation to changes in general health and functioning, psychological outcomes, and role limitations at follow-up.ResultsOf the 328 participants eligible for study, 251 (77%) completed the follow-up interview. Reductions in general health and overall functioning (compared with pre-injury status) were reported by 25% and 43% of participants, respectively. In multivariate analyses, predictors of specific adverse outcomes at follow-up included increasing age (reduction in functioning), lower limb injuries (reductions in general health and functioning); female gender (psychological sequelae); injury severity score ≥9 (anxiety and depression); and length of hospital stay (fear of falling and post-traumatic stress symptoms).ConclusionsThe significant longer-term reductions in health and levels of functioning reveal the importance of strengthening efforts to prevent falls amongst young and middle-aged adults, and identifying groups at increased risk of longer-term disability who could benefit from targeted interventions.Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

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