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Summary: This was the first study assessing falls prospectively in middle-aged women. The 1-year incidence was 42% for any fall, which suggest falls are a major issue in middle-aged women. Middle-aged women, particularly those sustaining a fall, could be a target group for fall-prevention strategies.

Purpose: Incidence and circumstances of falls in middle-aged people are poorly understood. This cohort study aimed to elucidate the incidence and circumstances of falls over 1 year in middle-aged women.

Methods: Falls were recorded monthly for 1 year by questionnaire in 2017-2019 in a population-based sample of women aged 41-62 years. The incidence of falls and injurious falls and related circumstances were descriptively analysed.

Results: Of 273 women, 115 sustained 209 falls. The 1-year incidence was 42% for any fall, 17% for multiple (two or more) falls, and 24% for injurious falls. The incidence was greater in older age groups for any fall (33, 45, and 44% for people aged < 50, 50-55, and > 55 years, respectively), multiple falls (7, 14, and 22%) and injurious falls (15, 20, and 28%), although only the incidence of multiple falls was significantly increased across the three age groups (P = 0.01). Most falls occurred outdoors (71%) and were attributed to tripping and slipping (60%).

Conclusions: Falls are a major issue in middle-aged women, a group that has been largely ignored in the prevention of falls. Middle-aged women, in particular those sustaining a fall, could be a target group for fall-prevention strategies. Future studies are needed to identify risk factors for falling in this population so as inform the development of strategies for preventing falls in middle-aged women.

Item Type:	Refereed Article
Keywords:	cause, descriptive analysis, injury, location, longitudinal study
Research Division:	Health Sciences
Research Group:	Epidemiology
Research Field:	Epidemiology not elsewhere classified
Objective Division:	Health
Objective Group:	Clinical health
Objective Field:	Clinical health not elsewhere classified
UTAS Author:	Wang, M (Miss Mengmeng Wang)
UTAS Author:	Wu, F (Dr Feitong Wu)
UTAS Author:	Callisaya, ML (Dr Michele Callisaya)
UTAS Author:	Jones, G (Professor Graeme Jones)
UTAS Author:	Winzenberg, T (Professor Tania Winzenberg)
ID Code:	141084
Year Published:	2020
Web of Science® Times Cited:	4
Deposited By:	Menzies Institute for Medical Research
Deposited On:	2020-09-23
Last Modified:	2021-04-21
Downloads:	12 View Download Statistics