Understanding Falls in South Africa: A Mini Review of Prevalence, Risk Factors, Outcomes and Prevention Strategies

Enoh, Jude Eteneneng; Akah, Roland Tiagha; Nkeh-Chungag, Benedicta

doi:10.21608/niles.2025.366013.1115

Understanding Falls in South Africa: A Mini Review of Prevalence, Risk Factors, Outcomes and Prevention Strategies

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

¹ Cardio-Metabolic Health Research Laboratory, Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Walter Sisulu University (WSU), South Africa.

² Cardio-metabolic Health Research Group, Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences Faculty of Natural Sciences, Walter Sisulu University (WSU)

10.21608/niles.2025.366013.1115

Abstract

Falls are a major public health problem in South Africa, with many vulnerable members of society at risk, including the elderly and those suffering from chronic diseases. This review attempts to comprehensively present this country's prevalence, outcomes, and prevention of falls. An extensive literature search was done using different scientific databases such as Google Scholar, PubMed, and Web of Science. According to available studies, falls in South Africa vary from 1.7% to 40%. These patterns are not very different from what happens in the world. Still, at the same time, there is a huge contrast between rural and urban areas because of the difference in infrastructure, access to health care, and socioeconomic status. Among both the elderly and children, falls are a leading cause of injury-related hospitalization that results in fractures, head trauma, and disability. This overview thus calls for a multi-faceted approach to fall prevention in South Africa, including health care, social services, and community involvement, to reduce the burden of falls and their poor outcome. Further research is needed to close data gaps, especially in rural and deprived areas, and test the effectiveness of evidence-based interventions in a wide range of settings.

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