Effect of leisure-time physical activity on the risk of falling and fall-related injuries among young and middle-age adults

Background:While exercise and strength training have been shown to be protective against falls in older adults (65 and older), evidence for the role of Leisure-Time Physical Activity (LTPA) in the prevention of falls and resulting injuries in young (<45 years) and middle-aged adults (45-64) is lacking. We investigate the association between LTPA and falls and injuries from falls among young and middle-aged adults.

Methods:Using data from the limited-service restaurant study and nationally representative data from the 2010 U.S. Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance Survey (BRFSS), we estimate the effects of LTPA on slips and falls in young adults and falls and injuries resulting from a fall in middle-aged adults. 

Findings:  Among young adults in the restaurant study, the rate of slips that led to a fall and/or an injury were about 33% lower among workers who engaged in moderate and vigorous LTPA as compared with less active workers, although this association was not statistically significant.  Among middle-aged (age 45-54) adults in the BRFSS study, those who engaged in LTPA were significantly less likely to report one fall (odds ratio [OR], 0.90; 95%CI 0.89-0.91), two or more falls (OR=0.70; 0.69-0.71), one injurious fall (OR=0.81;0.80-0.82), and two or more injurious falls (OR=0.60; 0.59-0.61) than middle-aged adults who did not exercise.  A similar protective effect of LTPA on reporting falls and injuries was noted for adults age 55-64 and 65 and older.

Interpretation: Similar to older adults, young and middle-aged adults who engage in LTPA report fewer falls and fewer fall-related injuries.