Step safely

The Step Safely technical package, recently published by the World Health Organization (WHO), provides concrete recommendations for evidence-based strategies to prevent and manage falls for different population groups. Among others, effective prevention measures include parenting programmes for low-income and marginalized families, stricter worker safety regulations, and strength and balance training for older people. Preventing falls can help achieve the Sustainable Development Goals linked to health and well-being, decent work, and safe, inclusive cities.
For this publication, WHO commissioned researchers from the WHO Collaborating Centre for Injury Prevention and Trauma Care at The George Institute for Global Health and UNSW School of Population Health to conduct a review of high-quality global evidence on falls prevention for Step Safely. The resulting Evidence Synthesis report describes the rapid evidence review process undertaken to identify and quality appraise relevant studies, and assess the level of evidence to support various falls prevention strategies for five key population groups: children and adolescents, people in occupational settings, community dwelling older adults, older people living in residential care facilities and older people receiving care in hospitals.
The publication is ready for download on the WHO website.