Falls amongst older people in Southeast Asia: a scoping review

Romli MH 1 , Tan MP 2 , Mackenzie L 3 , Lovarini M 4 , Suttanon P 5 , Clemson L 6

Affiliations 

  • 1 Discipline of Occupational Therapy, Faculty of Health Sciences, Cumberland Campus, University of Sydney, 75 East Street, Lidcombe, NSW 2141, Australia; Department of Nursing and Rehabilitation, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universiti Putra Malaysia, 43400 Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia. Electronic address: mrom4634@uni.sydney.edu.au
  • 2 Ageing and Age Associated Disorders Research Group, Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya, 50603 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Electronic address: mptan@ummc.edu.my
  • 3 Discipline of Occupational Therapy, Faculty of Health Sciences, Cumberland Campus, University of Sydney, 75 East Street, Lidcombe, NSW 2141, Australia. Electronic address: lynette.mackenzie@sydney.edu.au
  • 4 Discipline of Occupational Therapy, Faculty of Health Sciences, Cumberland Campus, University of Sydney, 75 East Street, Lidcombe, NSW 2141, Australia. Electronic address: meryl.lovarini@sydney.edu.au
  • 5 Faculty of Allied Health Sciences, Thammasat University, 99 Moo 18 Paholyothin Road, Klong Luang, Rangsit, Prathumthani 12120, Thailand. Electronic address: plaiwan2277@gmail.com
  • 6 Discipline of Occupational Therapy, Faculty of Health Sciences, Cumberland Campus, University of Sydney, 75 East Street, Lidcombe, NSW 2141, Australia. Electronic address: lindy.clemson@sydney.edu.au
Public Health, 2017 Apr;145:96-112.
PMID: 28359399 DOI: 10.1016/j.puhe.2016.12.035

Abstract

OBJECTIVES: The older population in the Southeast Asian region is accelerating and is expected to surpass the proportion of the ageing population in North America and Europe in the future. This study aims to identify the research literature related to falls among older people in Southeast Asia, to examine current practice and discuss the future direction on falls prevention and interventions in the region.

STUDY DESIGN: A scoping review design was used.

METHODS: A systematic literature search was conducted using the Medline, CINAHL, AMED, Ageline, PsycINFO, Web of Sciences, Scopus, Thai-Journal Citation Index, MyCite and trial registries databases.

RESULTS: Thirty-seven studies and six study protocols were included, from Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Vietnam, Indonesia and the Philippines. One-sixth of the studies involved interventions, while the remainder were observational studies. The observational studies mainly determined the falls risk factors. The intervention studies comprised multifactorial interventions and single interventions such as exercises, educational materials and visual correction. Many of the studies replicated international studies and may not have taken into account features unique to Southeast Asia.

CONCLUSION: Our review has revealed studies evaluating falls and management of falls in the Southeast Asian context. More research is required from all Southeast Asian countries to prepare for the future challenges of managing falls as the population ages.

* Title and MeSH Headings from MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine.

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