Patterns of self-reported health care use in injured and uninjured older adults

Association between obesity and unintentional injury in older adults

OBJECTIVE

To test the association between obesity and specific types and anatomical sites of unintentional injuries in older adults.

METHODS

Participants consisted of 52,857 men and women aged ≥65 years from the 2003 and 2005 Canadian Community Health Survey. Weight, height, and details on injuries occurring in the past year were obtained by survey.

RESULTS

Obese individuals had a higher risk for sprains/strains occurring at any anatomical site (odds ratio, 95% confidence interval: men 1.48, 1.48-1.62; women 1.14, 1.10-1.27). Conversely, obese individuals were less likely to have a fracture at any anatomical location (men 0.56, 0.50-0.63; women 0.66, 0.51-0.92) or at the hip (men 0.31, 0.12-0.53; women 0.42, 0.29-0.92). Finally, obese older adults did not experience more superficial injuries than normal-weight individuals.

CONCLUSION

Among this large sample of older adults, obesity provided some protection against fractures but was associated with higher odds for sprains/strains.

A systematic review of accidental injury from fire, wandering and medication self-administration errors for older adults with and without dementia

The assessment of risk of injury in the home is important for older adults when considering whether they are able to live independently. The purpose of this systematic review is to determine the frequency of injury for persons with dementia and the general older adult population, from three sources: fires/burns, medication self-administration errors and wandering. Relevant articles (n=74) were screened and 16 studies were retained for independent review. The studies, although subject to selection and information bias, showed low proportions of morbidity and mortality from the three sources of injury. Data did not allow direct comparison of morbidity and mortality for persons with dementia and the general older adult population; however, data trends suggested greater event frequencies with medication self-administration and wandering for persons with dementia. Assessment targeting these sources of injury should have less emphasis in the general older adult population compared to persons with dementia.

Risk factors influencing the occurrence of injuries in koreans requiring hospitalization

PURPOSE

This study focused on local communities and the factors influencing injuries requiring hospital admission that affect the quality of life for Koreans.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

This study used data collected from 4,400 households during the 2001 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES). A stratified multistage probability sampling method was applied and the final sample included 7,924 subjects over 20 years old who had completed the questionnaire regarding factors influencing injuries requiring hospital admission. Multiple logistic regression analysis was used to estimate the risk factors influencing injuries.

RESULTS

The incidence of injuries requiring hospital admission in Koreans was higher in men than in women at 2.3% (95% CI: 1.8-2.8) and 1.7% (95% CI: 1.3-2.1), respectively. Statistically significant factors affecting the occurrence of injuries requiring hospital admission were marital status (OR: 2.60, 95% CI: 2.22- 5.56), state of health (OR: 0.63, 95% CI: 0.43-0.92), frequency of heavy drinking (OR: 1.96, 95% CI: 1.01-3.79), normal physical activities (OR: 1.68, 95% CI: 1.07-2.65), and sleep (OR: 1.54, 95% CI: 1.01-2.35).

CONCLUSION

The results of this study can be used to develop measures to prevent fatal injuries and be used as basic data for community health programs.