Boxes

Box 1 – Protective equipment use

Less than half of Canadians who participated in sports, such as cycling, in-line skating, snow-sports and skateboarding, reported that they always wore a helmet. A closer look indicates that for certain sports, like downhill skiing and snowboarding, adolescents were more likely to wear a helmet. That is, over three out of five adolescents wore a helmet for downhill skiing or snowboarding, compared with about two out of five in other age groups. Adolescents were less likely (31%) to report always wearing a helmet while biking, compared with adults (38%) and seniors (39%).

Even though 22% of injured adolescents reported a wrist or hand injury, less than one in ten reported always wearing wrist guards when practicing in-line skating, snowboarding or skateboarding.

Box 2 – Seniors and falls

Falls are of important concern for the elderly population because they can have serious consequences: injury, disability, hospitalization and even death. For example, a 2005 report from the Public Health Agency of Canada¹ noted that 20% of seniors with hip injuries die within a year of the fracture.

Most injuries for seniors are the direct consequence of tripping or stumbling (60%). In seniors aged 65 to 79, such falls occur most often outdoors (53%). For seniors 80 and older these types of falls are more likely to occur indoors (63%) than outdoors (37%) (2009 CCHS – Healthy Aging).

Falls among seniors are also related to stair accidents (13%) and health problems like dizziness, seizures, weakness or knees that "give out" (8%).

References

1. Public Health Agency of Canada. Report on seniors' falls in Canada . 2005 [cited 2011 June 3].