%0 Thesis
%9 Master Essay
%A McNutt, Nicholas
%D 2020
%F pittir:38542
%I University of Pittsburgh
%P 42
%T Translation of Falls Prevention Efforts:   An Overview of the Existing Gap between Research & Practice
%U http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/38542/
%X Falls are the leading cause of unintentional injury-related deaths and non-fatal injuries in people aged 65 years and older. Older adults aged 65 years and older are hospitalized five times more often from falls than for injuries from any other cause. Each year, accidental falls result in over two million emergency department (ED) visits in the United States, and fall-related injury care costs exceed $30 billion annually. Of concern, rates of fall-related ED visits and hospitalizations are increasing while the proportion of older adults in the population is also increasing. Prevention of falls and fall-related injuries is a pressing public health issue as falls present significant health, psychological, financial, and environmental burdens for older adults, society, and health care systems. Falls are not an inevitable part of aging and can be prevented. Multiple studies have highlighted the effectiveness of multi-component falls prevention programs at lowering fall risk and incidence among older adults. The next step in falls prevention is to focus on public health evaluation of fall prevention programs to ensure effectiveness of programs outside research settings. The purpose of the essay is to highlight the existing gaps between research and practice for falls prevention efforts.