China CDC completes compilation of Health Education Tutorial on Falls Prevention in the Elderly

Falls are the leading cause of injury deaths among older people in China. Injuries resulting from falls are the top cause of death for the elderly and the most common reason for them to seek medical treatment in China, severely affecting their physical and mental health and quality of life.

The National Center for Chronic and Noncommunicable Disease Control and Prevention of the China CDC (referred to as “the center” hereafter) has carried out several projects on falls prevention among older adults at nearly 100 communities in eight provinces (autonomous regions and municipalities) since 2018 and has achieved good intervention effect. These projects aim to implement the requirements for fall prevention work listed in the Plan of Healthy China 2030 and Healthy China Initiative (2019-2030).

Experts from the center have compiled the Health Education Tutorial on Falls Prevention in the Elderly (the "Tutorial"), to better summarize the achievements of the projects and advance the falls prevention work nationwide.

Published by the People’s Medical Publishing House in May 2022, the entire tutorial package contains knowledge and skills on fall prevention, improving the environment to that end, use of aids and behavior adjustment. It comes with a handbook for professional individuals, a handbook for the elderly, a set of supportive tools, and videos of practical exercises for fall prevention.

The tutorial is the first published reference and a toolkit for community-level health care institutions to prevent falls among older adults in China. It meets the needs of local communities and serves as a pacesetter in falls prevention work nationwide.