Geneva: Every year more than 684,000 people die as the result of a fall, and an estimated 172 million more are left with short- or long-term disability – shocking statistics that represent substantial human suffering. Today, the World Health Organization (WHO) releases a new technical package, Step safely: strategies for preventing and managing falls across the life-course, to help policy-makers and practitioners address the issue.
Of those who die from falls, more than 32,000 are children and adolescents. The rates of deaths from falls among young people are three times higher in low- and middle-income countries than they are in high-income countries. This is due to conditions such as poor-quality housing, high-rise living, and unsupervised play.
Another 36,000 people die from falls at work, with those working in the informal economies most at risk. One-third of people aged over 60 years fall at least once a year, and fear of falling significantly impacts the quality of life.
For people of all ages, fall-related deaths increased by a staggering 53% from 2000 to 2019, while deaths from all injury-related causes combined increased by 6%. Falls are a growing public health issue and many factors – including aging populations, increased urbanization, and sedentary lifestyles – mean that global fall-related injury rates are predicted to continue to rise drastically in the coming decades.
“Step safely reflects the growing evidence and awareness that falls are not an inevitable part of life or aging,” notes Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General. “Preventing falls can help achieve the Sustainable Development Goals linked to health and well-being, decent work, and safe, inclusive cities. As we build back better from the COVID-19 pandemic, I call on the global community to actively look for opportunities to reduce the growing harm, anguish, and loss that result from falls.”
Step safely provides concrete recommendations for evidence-based strategies for preventing falls among children and adolescents, workers, and older people. Among the measures to prevent falls are:
For children and adolescents:
- Home safety information for parents
- Soft-fall playground surfaces
For workers:
- Non-slip footwear
- Stricter safety regulations
For older people:
- Strength and balance training
- Home assessment and modifications
“The new Step safely technical package will allow us to focus efforts to prevent falls on high-risk groups in all countries and should help to save lives,” adds Dr Etienne Krug, WHO Director of the Department of Social Determinants of Health. “Now is the time to push the prevention and management of falls higher up the policy, practice and research agenda.”
