Citation

Xia QH, Jiang Y, Niu CJ, Tang CX, Xia ZL. Inj. Prev. 2009; 15(4): 248-251.

Affiliation

Changning Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 39 Yun Wushan Road, Shanghai 200051, China. xiaqinghua56@126.com

Copyright

(Copyright © 2009, BMJ Publishing Group)

DOI

10.1136/ip.2008.020420

PMID

19651998

PMCID

PMC2714879

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effectiveness of an 18-month multifaceted intervention designed to reduce the incidence of falls in community-living older adults in China. METHODS: A population-based community trial evaluated by before-and-after cross-sectional surveys. Four residential communities were randomised to either a multifaceted intervention or a control condition. Baseline information was collected from a sample of older adults in each community. A 1-year annual fall rate was calculated after an 18-month comprehensive intervention. RESULTS: After intervention, 7.19% of the intervention community sample reported falls, compared with 17.86% of the control community sample (p<0.000). The annual fall rate decreased by 10.52% in the intervention communities, whereas the difference in control communities was not statistically significant. CONCLUSIONS: Multifaceted interventions in community settings may be useful in preventing falls among older people, and can be applied in similar settings in China.

Language: en