Risk factors associated with injurious falls on snow or ice: results from the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging

Despite popular belief that adverse weather impacts the risk of falls, a multifactorial and leading cause of injury among older adults, this association is largely understudied. This study examined which individual characteristics are associated with increased risks of sustaining an injurious fall on snow/ice among Canadian older adults.

This cross-sectional secondary analysis used baseline data from the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging. Participants who retrospectively reported an injurious fall within 12 months of baseline testing were included (n = 2,587; age_mean: 63.7 ± 10.4 years; 59.8% female). The main outcome was an injurious fall on snow/ice, with select sociodemographic factors as independent variables. Participants who fell on snow/ice (n = 254) were compared with those who fell elsewhere (n = 2,333) based on demographics, health, and fall injury status.

Participants who fell on snow/ice were younger (62.1 vs. 63.9 years; p = .006), more likely to be male (50.8% vs. 39.0%; p < .001), less likely to be retired (41.7% vs. 51.0%; p = .004), and reported fewer chronic conditions (3.5 vs. 4.1; p = .003). Logistic regression showed that men were 36% more likely to fall on snow/ice than women and that for every additional year of age, men had a reduced risk of injurious fall on snow/ice.

Middle-aged Canadian men are at higher risk for injurious falls on snow/ice. Results suggest that targeted public health guidelines may be needed for men under 65 to reduce this risk. More studies are needed to understand if this finding is generalizable to other countries with snow/ice.