The Public Health Approach to Older Adult Fall Prevention: Comments from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

摘要

Unintentional falls among persons aged 65 years and older are an important public health issue, associated withsignificant mortality and morbidity. About one third of older adults fall annually and, although many fall outcomes areminor, between 10% and 20% cause serious injuries such as traumatic brain injury, contusions, and fractures. Thereforethe U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is working to prevent injuries and fatalities due to older adultfalls. The public health approach to older adult falls focuses on prevention and is based on scientific rigor. Its steps includedefining the problem, identifying causes, developing and testing interventions, and then implementing effective approacheson a large scale. We highlight current CDC activities that map onto each step of the public health model andclose by providing future directions for older adult fall prevention, including improved surveillance, support for programimplementation, and enhanced partnership building.