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

Abstract

Unintentional 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.

Method: Individuals 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.

Results: Of 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).

Conclusions: The 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.