BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Norway has the highest reported incidence of hip fractures in western Europe. Little is known about the epidemiology of falls in Norway where the winter season is long and dark. The objective of this work was to study reported falls and their consequences among elderly Norwegians living at home. METHODS: A cross-sectional design was used for the study. Interviews were performed in the homes of 431 subjects, aged 67-97 years, living at home. Information on falling was gathered through six questions: whether the subject had fallen during the last six months, and if so, how many falls they had, where the last fall occurred, its perceived reason, the activity the subject had been engaged in when the fall occurred, and the resulting injury. RESULTS: In all, 24.1% of subjects reported falling during the last six months, and 9.5% had suffered more than one fall. Falls were most frequently linked to external events (63.1%). Outdoor falls were more frequent (59.0%; 95% CI = 51.2-82.0) than indoor falls. Older subjects were associated with more frequent indoor falls (p < 0.05), but gender was not significant. Fifty-one per cent of subjects had fallen while walking and 53% had suffered an injury from the last fall. In 13.4% of the women and 16.2% of the men, the last fall had resulted in a fracture. CONCLUSIONS: Compared to the results of other studies from industrialized Western countries, a similar crude fall rate, similar frequency and similar type of injury were found. However, in contrast to other studies, no gender difference was observed with regard to falling, place of falling and fracture rate.
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Norway has the highest reported incidence of hip fractures in western Europe. Little is known about the epidemiology of falls in Norway where the winter season is long and dark. The objective of this work was to study reported falls and their consequences among elderly Norwegians living at home. METHODS: A cross-sectional design was used for the study. Interviews were performed in the homes of 431 subjects, aged 67-97 years, living at home. Information on falling was gathered through six questions: whether the subject had fallen during the last six months, and if so, how many falls they had, where the last fall occurred, its perceived reason, the activity the subject had been engaged in when the fall occurred, and the resulting injury. RESULTS: In all, 24.1% of subjects reported falling during the last six months, and 9.5% had suffered more than one fall. Falls were most frequently linked to external events (63.1%). Outdoor falls were more frequent (59.0%; 95% CI = 51.2-82.0) than indoor falls. Older subjects were associated with more frequent indoor falls (p < 0.05), but gender was not significant. Fifty-one per cent of subjects had fallen while walking and 53% had suffered an injury from the last fall. In 13.4% of the women and 16.2% of the men, the last fall had resulted in a fracture. CONCLUSIONS: Compared to the results of other studies from industrialized Western countries, a similar crude fall rate, similar frequency and similar type of injury were found. However, in contrast to other studies, no gender difference was observed with regard to falling, place of falling and fracture rate.
Authors: Jennifer L Kelsey; Elizabeth Procter-Gray; Sarah D Berry; Marian T Hannan; Douglas P Kiel; Lewis A Lipsitz; Wenjun Li Journal: J Am Geriatr Soc Date: 2012-01-27 Impact factor: 5.562
Authors: Björn E Rosengren; Eva L Ribom; Jan-Åke Nilsson; Hans Mallmin; Osten Ljunggren; Claes Ohlsson; Dan Mellström; Mattias Lorentzon; Marcia Stefanick; Jodi Lapidus; Ping Chung Leung; Anthony Kwok; Elizabeth Barrett-Connor; Eric Orwoll; Magnus K Karlsson Journal: Age Ageing Date: 2012-02-06 Impact factor: 10.668
Authors: Björn Rosengren; Eva L Ribom; Jan-Åke Nilsson; Osten Ljunggren; Claes Ohlsson; Dan Mellström; Mattias Lorentzon; Hans Mallmin; Marcia L Stefanick; Jodi Lapidus; Ping Chung Leung; Anthony Kwok; Elizabeth Barrett-Connor; Eric Orwoll; Magnus K Karlsson Journal: Age Ageing Date: 2011-09-13 Impact factor: 10.668
Authors: Wenjun Li; Theresa H M Keegan; Barbara Sternfeld; Stephen Sidney; Charles P Quesenberry; Jennifer L Kelsey Journal: Am J Public Health Date: 2006-05-30 Impact factor: 9.308
Authors: Magnus K Karlsson; Eva Ribom; Jan-Åke Nilsson; Östen Ljunggren; Claes Ohlsson; Dan Mellström; Mattiaz Lorentzon; Hans Mallmin; Marcia Stefanick; Jodi Lapidus; Ping Chung Leung; Anthony Kwok; Elizabeth Barrett-Connor; Eric Orwoll; Björn E Rosengren Journal: Age Ageing Date: 2012-08-24 Impact factor: 10.668