Background
Injuries arising from falls on steps in the home present a major health burden in Aotearoa New Zealand. A previous study, the HIPI study, a randomised controlled trial that tested a range of home modifications to increase safety found that the combined safety effect on home falls was around 26%. This study builds on the findings of the HIPI study by focusing on specific modifications. The goal of this project is to provide robust causal evidence to motivate and support cost-effective remediation of NZ home fall hazards that are common in New Zealand housing.
Aim
To quantify the safety benefits, in terms of reductions of injuries from falls, of installing handrails and edgings for steps on access steps to homes.
Design
The design is a randomised controlled trial. We will first build a database (a sampling frame) by taking photographs of access steps without handrails in the Wellington Region and in New Plymouth. Some houses will later be randomly chosen to have handrails and high-visibility edgings installed for free (5gtwith the owner's consent). Letters will be sent to addresses that are randomly selected later in 2015 inviting people to participate.
Potential benefits
The potential benefits of the study include reducing the burden of injury in the home, a burden that has been growing in recent years. Participants who receive repairs will improve their own houses and increase the value of the homes. Hospitals, GPs and other practitioners providing medical/dental treatment for injuries in the home will have a reduced workload.
HIPI supporters
The study is funded by the Health Research Council.
For more information, contact Project Manager, Dr Michael Keall.