ArticleCMAJ : Canadian Medical Association journal = journal de l'Association medicale canadienne2013
Prevalence of and factors associated with head impact during falls in older adults in long-term care.
Article in CMAJ : Canadian Medical Association journal = journal de l'Association medicale canadienne, 2013. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. An erratum has been issued. It is linked to trial NCT04844047 (Does Fall Arrest Strategy Training), which is not on this map. Cited by 36 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Does Fall Arrest Strategy Training (FAST) Added to a Fall Prevention Program Improve Physical Capacity to Prevent Serious Fall-related Injury in Older Women?
Who cites it
36 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 88 citations in OpenAlex.
- Characteristics of fragility hip fracture-related falls in the older adults: A systematic review.The journal of nutrition, health & aging · 2024Pooled it
- Fall arrest strategy training improves upper body response time compared to standard fall prevention exercise in older women: A randomized trial.Clinical rehabilitation · 2022Trial
- Risk stratification for significant acute traumatic intracranial hemorrhage in older adults after a ground-level fall: A prospective multicentre cohort study.PLoS medicine · 2026Article
- Effectiveness and improving program adherence among the older adults through competitive health promotion activities.BMC research notes · 2026Article
- Biomechanical Risk Factors for Head Impact during Falls in Mountain Biking.Annals of biomedical engineering · 2026Article
- Role of the Upper Limb in Limiting Head Impact During Laboratory-Induced Falls in at Fall-Risk Older Adults.The journals of gerontology. Series A, Biological sciences and medical sciences · 2024Article
- Investigating the biomechanics of falls in older adults in long-term care using a video camera: a scoping review.BMC geriatrics · 2024Article
- Enhancing Balance and Strength in Older Adults: The Impact of Pilates and Vibro-Swing Exercises.Medical science monitor : international medical journal of experimental and clinical research · 2024Article
- Article
- Fall Recognition Based on an IMU Wearable Device and Fall Verification through a Smart Speaker and the IoT.Sensors (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Article
- The timing and amplitude of the muscular activity of the arms preceding impact in a forward fall is modulated with fall velocity.Journal of biomechanics · 2023Article
- Severe trauma in Germany and Israel: are we speaking the same language? A trauma registry comparison.Frontiers in public health · 2023Article
- Effects of the Mobility-Fit Physical Activity Program on Strength and Mobility in Older Adults in Assisted Living: A Feasibility Study.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022Article
- Article
- Age-related changes in protective arm reaction kinematics, kinetics, and neuromuscular activation during evoked forward falls.Human movement science · 2022Article
- Malaysian older persons' perceptions about falls and their desired educational website characteristics: A qualitative study.PloS one · 2022Article
- Test-retest reliability of the FALL FIT system for assessing and training protective arm reactions in response to a forward fall.MethodsX · 2022Article
- Examining the influence of mental stress on balance perturbation responses in older adults.Experimental gerontology · 2021Article
- Cost-Effectiveness of Multifactorial Interventions in Preventing Falls among Elderly Population: A Systematic Review.Bulletin of emergency and trauma · 2021Review
- Unconstrained slip mechanics and stepping reactions depend on slip onset timing.Journal of biomechanics · 2021Article
Corrections and comments
- Erratum issued
Authors and funding
6 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundFalls cause more than 60% of head injuries in older adults. Lack of objective evidence on the circumstances of these events is a barrier to prevention. We analyzed video footage to determine the frequency of and risk factors for head impact during falls in older adults in 2 long-term care facilities.
methodsOver 39 months, we captured on video 227 falls involving 133 residents. We used a validated questionnaire to analyze the mechanisms of each fall. We then examined whether the probability for head impact was associated with upper-limb protective responses (hand impact) and fall direction.
resultsHead impact occurred in 37% of falls, usually onto a vinyl or linoleum floor. Hand impact occurred in 74% of falls but had no significant effect on the probability of head impact (p = 0.3). An increased probability of head impact was associated with a forward initial fall direction, compared with backward falls (odds ratio [OR] 2.7, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.3-5.9) or sideways falls (OR 2.8, 95% CI 1.2-6.3). In 36% of sideways falls, residents rotated to land backwards, which reduced the probability of head impact (OR 0.2, 95% CI 0.04-0.8).
interpretationHead impact was common in observed falls in older adults living in long-term care facilities, particularly in forward falls. Backward rotation during descent appeared to be protective, but hand impact was not. Attention to upper-limb strength and teaching rotational falling techniques (as in martial arts training) may reduce fall-related head injuries in older adults.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.