Preventing slips and falls through leisure-time physical activity: Findings from the limited-service restaurant study

Introduction: While the risk of slips and falls is generally higher in older adults, some younger adults, age 18-64 employed in high slip and fall hazards occupations (e.g., restaurant workers), may have slip/fall risks as high as older adults. The relative contribution of physical activity in preventing slips and falls has been characterized only in older adults. Therefore in this study, we examine the association between slips, falls and leisure-time physical activity (LTPA) among young limited-service restaurant workers.

Methods: Among 36 limited-service restaurants, 475 workers participated in a prospective cohort study from 2007-2008. Language-sensitive questionnaires documented the workers self-reported slips at the workplace, weekly work hours, LTPA and socio-demographic characteristics. The association between the rate of major slips (i.e., resulting in a fall or injury) and LTPA were assessed using a multivariable negative-binomial generalized linear model.

Results: During the 12-week surveillance period, over 54% of workers reported at least one slip incident of whom, 17% engaged in sedentary behavior (i.e., watching television, reading, or light-work), 40% in moderate (i.e., active, light-work about 2-4 hours/week) and 43% in energetic (i.e., physically active, >4 hours/week) LTPA. The rates of major slips among workers who engaged in moderate (Adjusted Rate Ratio=0.66; 95%CI=[0.18-2.46]) and vigorous (ARR=0.68; 95%CI=[0.19-2.39]) physical activity during their leisure-time were about 33% lower than the rate of major slips among inactive participants even while controlling for age, although confidence intervals for ARRs were not significant.

Conclusions: Engagement in LTPA among restaurant workers may be protective from risk of major slips.