Burden of falls among elderly persons in India: A systematic review and meta-analysis

. Falls are one of the leading causes of death and disability among elderly persons. In India, there is paucity of data on the prevalence of falls, particularly among community-dwelling elderly persons. To estimate healthcare costs related to falls and formulation of fall prevention strategies, there is a need of reliable estimates of magnitude of falls. We aimed to provide a community-based pooled estimate of the burden of falls among elderly persons in India.

. A systematic literature search was done manually as well as electronically through PubMed, Google Scholar, Cochrane library, IndMed, Embase and WHO databases. Community-based original studies conducted in India were included. No restriction for the date was used. Meta-analysis was done using the random effects model.

. Sixteen studies were included in the review and meta-analysis. These studies included a total of 14 844 elderly persons, of which 2707 reported falling. The pooled prevalence of falls was found to be 31% (95% CI 23%-39%). There was significant heterogeneity between the studies (I² = 98.08%, p<0.01).

. There is a high prevalence of falls among elderly persons in India. However, the available studies have considerable methodological variations and are of limited quality. Realistic estimates are required for designing programmes for prevention of falls and for rehabilitation.