Falls in young adults: Perceived causes and environmental factors assessed with a daily online survey

Abstract

Falls are the third leading cause of unintentional injuries for ages 18-35years (CDC), but the causes and circumstances of falls in this age group are understudied. The purpose of this study was to document the frequency and circumstances of falls in young adults with a daily online survey. Ninety-four undergraduate students (19.9±0.9years) received a daily email for 16weeks regarding slips, trips and falls in the past 24h (93% response rate). More than half of the participants (52%) fell in the 16-week interval. Injuries were reported in 16% of falls, and medical treatment was received in 4% of all falls. The majority of falls occurred while walking (58%), and the main cause of the fall was a slip (48%) or trip (25%). On average, participants fell once out of every 18 perceived slips and trips. Physical activity level did not distinguish fallers from non-fallers (p=0.45), but for those who did fall, falls were more frequent as physical activity level increased (p=0.007). The high fall and injury rate in a short interval reflects the inherent instability of bipedal locomotion and indicates that falls are not a trivial problem for young adults.

Keywords: Falls; Online; Slips; Survey; Trips; Young adults.