Risk Factors Associated with Falls During Pregnancy

Details

• Personal Author:
  Dunning KK
• Description:
  Background: Though falls are a major source of trauma during pregnancy, the prevalence rate of these occurrences is unknown. A population based cohort study to determine risk factors related to falls during pregnancy including injury and medical attention was conducted. Methods: Birth certificate data identified women 20 years of age or older who delivered a child within the previous eight weeks. Data were collected via phone, internet, and mail surveys. Two outcomes were investigated: a fall and a serious fall during pregnancy and adjusted odds ratios and confidence intervals were calculated. Results: Of the 3997 participants, 1070 fell at least once (26.8%) and 272 (6.8%) experienced a serious fall during pregnancy. Younger women aged 20-24 had a higher odds ratio for fall of 1.9 (95% confidence interval of 1.4, 2.7). In addition, women with higher risk for fall were those who were less educated, had no permanent partner, cared for toddlers, or had gestational diabetes. Of the women who fell, women with vision or balance problems prior to pregnancy were more likely to experience a serious fall and college graduates were less likely to experience a serious fall. Falls associated with feeling ill or those occurring after 2:30 p.m. were more likely to result in serious falls. The majority of falls (78.7%) were associated with stairs, uneven or slippery floors, hurrying, or carrying an object or child. Conclusions: Over one in four women fall during pregnancy, a rate comparable with the elderly. Guidelines for counseling obstetric patients are recommended. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Accident Prevention Accidents Accidents, Occupational Epidemiology Occupational Health Pregnancy Safety
• Keywords:
  Accident-prevention Accident-rates Accident-statistics Injuries Injury-prevention Statistical-analysis
• Publisher:
  University of Cincinnati
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Dissertation
• Place as Subject:
  Ohio ; OSHA Region 5
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  1-120
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20057348
• Citation:
  Cincinnati, OH: University of Cincinnati, 2003 May; :1-120
• Contact Point Address:
  Department of Environmental Health, University of Cincinnati Medical Center, P.O. Box 670056, Cincinnati, OH 45267-0056
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2003
• NORA Priority Area:
  Work Environment and Workforce: Special Populations
• Performing Organization:
  University of Cincinnati, Department of Environmental Health, Cincinnati, Ohio
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Start Date:
  19990930
• Source Full Name:
  Risk factors associated with falls during pregnancy
• End Date:
  20030929
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:88170237d7d3b1c653f8f3bf7dc294815bfaf2f34e0ef80175a983b29191ceac57bcf2c496e6bef487ce7cf964f3cf7ca998aecd94160c78a194e79fdd12b64b
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/214732/cdc_214732_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 2.77 MB ]