Racial Differences in Location & Activity-Specific Falls & Driving Behaviors among Older Adults with Wenjun Li 4/8

03/31/2022
By Dedra Daigle

Wenjun Li, PhD
Professor of Public Health

Friday, April 8
2 p.m.
HSS 342 or via Zoom

Prevention of falls and maintaining ability to drive are important to independent living and good health in older age. The Health Aging and Neighborhood Study (HANS), funded by National Institute on Aging, examined rates of location and activity-specific falls and driving behaviors among ~400 community-living older adults living in Central Massachusetts between 2018 and 2020. Data on falls were collected using monthly calendar, and information on falls was collected by trained staff via telephone interviews with the participants. Information on driver characteristics and their driving behaviors were collected using a structure questionnaire. The preliminary analysis found notable racial differences in rates of overall, location-specific and activity-specific falls. The study also found notable sociodemographic, racial/ethnic and geographic differences in driving behaviors. We will discuss potential policy implications of these findings and upcoming expansion of the study.