Availability of Falls Prevention Programmes for Diverse Communities in Greater Sydney: A Gap Analysis

Falls are a major health risk for older Australians, causing most injury-related hospitalisations and deaths in this age group. Despite growth in Australia's older culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) population, limited data exist on the availability and suitability of falls prevention programmes for this group. This study examines the availability and suitability of such programmes for CALD populations in local government areas (LGAs) in Greater Sydney, NSW.

An audit of publicly available demographic data and falls prevention programme offerings from 20 LGAs was conducted, based on language diversity and Socio-Economic Indexes for Areas (SEIFA)-Index of Relative Socio-Economic Disadvantage (IRSD) score. Seven LGAs with the highest and lowest SEIFA-IRSD scores, plus seven LGAs with the most and least linguistic diversity were included. Data are presented using column charts to identify trends.

Fewer programmes were found in areas of greater disadvantage and higher linguistic diversity. Least disadvantaged areas offered more programmes, whilst the most disadvantaged and linguistically diverse areas offered fewer. Only one programme was offered in a language other than English, in a least disadvantaged LGA (Ku-Ring-Gai). These trends suggest that programme availability does not align with community needs.

Disparities exist in falls prevention programme availability across LGAs, with fewer programmes in areas of higher disadvantage and linguistic diversity, highlighting access inequities for older CALD populations. SO WHAT?: Older CALD populations in high-need LGAs have reduced access to falls prevention programmes, signalling a need for targeted, culturally and linguistically appropriate health promotion initiatives.