Epidemiology of falls and fall prevention among older adults in Sri Lanka: a scoping review

Introduction The term ‘fall’ is defined as the unintentional act of coming to a rest on the ground, floor, or any lower level, specifically excluding deliberate changes in position to rest on furniture, walls, or other objects. The World Health Organization has identified falls among older adults as a global health problem, and falls are likely to emerge as a significant public health problem in Sri Lanka. This study aimed to synthesise the literature related to the prevalence, epidemiology, and fall prevention programmes implemented to reduce falls among older adults in Sri Lanka. Methods Older adults over 60 years of age living in Sri Lanka were taken as the population. Falls among those living in community dwellings or institutionalised older adults were considered. Sri Lanka was used as the context. The Web of Science, PubMed, MEDLINE, Emcare, and CINAHL databases were searched via the EBSCOHost® platform, using ‘older adult’, ‘older people’, ‘elderly’, ‘senior’, ‘geriatric’, ‘fall’, ‘accidental fall’, and ‘Sri Lanka’ as keywords. The references identified through the searches were exported to Rayyan, and duplicates were removed. Two independent reviewers performed title, abstract, and full-text screening, and data extraction was also conducted independently by the same reviewers. A third reviewer resolved any disagreements between the two reviewers. Results 91 studies were identified and, finally, nine analytical observational studies were included. Conclusions. The studies were mainly observational, with limited representation from diverse populations. The study highlights the research gaps in fall screening and prevention interventions among older adults in Sri Lanka.