Recent studies have revealed that apartment dwellers experience substantially higher rates of injury compared to people who live in detached or single-family homes.
'People who lived in apartments had twice the risk of any type of injury,' said lead researcher Ronan Lyons, whose study showed that apartment residents had a twofold increase in risk from burns and scalds and a sixfold increase in poisonings.Home injuries were exceptionally common overall, said Lyons, a professor of public health at the University of Wales Swansea. Among the 112,248 people who lived in 58,000 residences, there were 18,044 emergency department visits for injuries that occurred at home.
The study from the June issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine identified the risk of home injuries based on the homes’ exterior structure, age and size.
By combining data from population registers, architectural surveys and emergency-department medical records, researchers determined the risk of injury for people who lived in detached houses, semi-detached houses converted to apartments, apartment buildings and row houses, all in the Neath-Port Talbot County area of South Wales.
Although a U.K. housing rating system suggests that older homes increase the risk of injury, this was not supported by study data.
Lyons said that higher poisoning rates among apartment dwellers 'suggest that behavioral issues are very important in that group of residents.' With young children, 'virtually all of the poisonings are unintentional,' he said, but for older age groups 'there would have to be a detailed interview' to sort out environmental and behavioral factors.
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'They’ve done an important thing by seeing how many injuries occur within housing types,' said Jon Pynoos, director of the Fall Prevention Center of Excellence in Los Angeles. Pynoos, who is not affiliated with the study, has done extensive research on home modification to prevent injury, with an emphasis on older adults.
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According to U.S. studies, unintentional injuries in the home account for 18,000 deaths and 12 million injuries requiring medical attention each year.
'It's useful, not to see the environment as completely separate, but as an element of falls and injuries,' Pynoos said. 'That can lead us in ways to intervene. The most effective interventions use physical activity, changes in the environment and medical risk assessment to prevent falls.'
Source: Newswise