Guarding Against Falls

More prevention devices needed in American homes, survey shows

FRIDAY, Jan. 7, 2005 (HealthDayNews) -- Although falls are the second leading cause of accidental injury or death in the United States, many homes lack all the necessary devices to safeguard against them.

That's the conclusion of a national survey of 1,300 households.

The survey found that only a third of homes with windows on upper stories and where children aged 6 or younger lived had window guards or locks to prevent children from falling out of the windows.

A third of homes with stairs had at least one set of stairs with no handrail or banister. Only a quarter of the homes had grab bars or handrails in the bathroom, and 64 percent said they had bath mats or anti-skid strips in the tub.

In homes with stairs and children under age 2, 65 percent had safety gates on stairs. That declined to 53 percent in homes with stairs and children aged 6 and younger.

About 7 percent of the households reported that someone in or around the home had fallen and required medical care within the previous year.

"Clearly, there is ample opportunity to increase the use of protective devices and limit the presence of fall hazards in many U.S. homes," author Carol W. Runyan, of the University of North Carolina Injury Prevention Research Center, said in a prepared statement.

The findings appear in the current issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.

More information

The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons offers advice on how to prevent falls.

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