Reviews of socio-demographic factors related to falls and environmental interventions to prevent falls amongst older people living in the community

This overview of falls and socio-demographic variables and falls and the environment comprises two main sections based on two reviews of the literature undertaken at the end of 2006 and beginning of 2007.

The first review looks specifically at the sociodemographic factors associated with falls; in particular investigations of socio-economic status and ethnicity as risk factors for falling and treatment for injurious fall.

The second review looks at the relationship between environment and falls and specifically focuses on the degree to which environmental modification interventions have been effective in reducing falls amongst older people. In preparing these overviews we have been guided by a very specific remit – to review the state of knowledge about falls and falls prevention amongst older people (aged 65 years and more).

With this in mind the central the question to be addressed are:

• How do socio-demographic variables (such as age, gender, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status) relate to the incidence of falls?
• To what degree is the environment a risk factor for falls, and how effective is environmental modification as a means of reducing falls amongst older people?