WHO & MUARC Step Safely Webinar Series - Strategies for Preventing and Managing Falls Across the Life-Course

This webinar series was hosted by the World Health Organization (WHO) and Monash University Accident Research Centre (MUARC) in April 2022 to support the promotion and dissemination of the Step Safely Technical Package. We cordially invite participation from all sectors, agencies and organizations with an interest in reducing the harmful impact of falls across all ages and across different settings to view the recordings of the webinars. Each webinar in the series focused on international experts in the field of falls prevention and highlighted example strategies for preventing and managing falls across three population groups:

Webinar 1 - Preventing Falls Among Older People

Webinar 2 - Preventing Work-Related Falls

Webinar 3 - Preventing Falls Among Children and Adolescents

Falls take the lives of 684 000 people each year. Beyond the death toll, 172 million more people experience disabilities arising from a fall each year. Falls are not only a significant global public health problem – they are a rapidly growing one. Fall-related deaths have risen far faster than any other type of injury over the last two decades. Many factors account for this increase – ageing populations and patterns of urbanization chief among them.

The Step Safely Technical Package launched by the WHO in April 2021 provides concrete recommendations for evidence-based strategies to prevent and manage falls for children and adolescents, workers, and older people. Among others, effective prevention measures include parenting programmes for low-income and marginalized families, stricter worker safety regulations, and strength and balance training for older people. Preventing falls can help achieve the Sustainable Development Goals linked to health and well-being, decent work, and safe, inclusive cities. The global community should actively look for opportunities to reduce the growing harm, suffering and loss that result from falls.

The technical package includes:

Step Safely Report
Evidence Synthesis Report that reviewed high-quality global evidence on falls prevention, conducted by the George Institute for Global Health and the University of New South Wales (UNSW) School of Population Health

For further enquiries please contact:

Dr Caroline Lukaszyk
World Health Organization, Department of Social Determinants of Health, Violence and Injury Prevention
lukaszykc@who.int

Ms Aleksandra Natora
Monash University Accident Research Centre (MUARC), WHO Collaborating Centre for Violence and Injury Prevention
aleksandra.natora@monash.edu