Prevalence and Determinants of Home Accidents Among Turkish Older Men and Women
Conditions: Age Problem
Sponsor: Ataturk University

Prevalence and determinants of home accidents among Turkish older men and women 
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Abstract 
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Background: Home accidents are a significant public health issue in developed and developing 
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countries. The present study aims to identify the factors associated with home accidents among 
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older individuals in Türkiye.  
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Methods: Microdata obtained from the Türkiye Health Survey conducted by the Turkish 
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Statistical Institute (TUIK) in 2019 and 2022 were utilized in the present study. Binary logistic 
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regression analysis was used to determine factors influencing home accidents. 
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Results:  
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Conclusion:  
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Keywords: Older individuals, home accident, discrete choice model, binary logistic regression, 
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Türkiye 
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1. Introduction 
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Home accidents are a significant public health issue in developed and developing countries (1). 
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Home refers to where older individuals spend most of their daily time, thus increasing their 
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likelihood of experiencing any accidents at home. Home accidents are more common among 
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older individuals and can lead to serious health consequences (2). Individuals aged 65 and 
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above are particularly at high risk of home accidents due to physical, psychological, and social 
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impairments. Musculoskeletal problems and sensory and motor function loss in this group 
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increase the risk of accidents (3). Home accidents are assumed to be unintentional and can range 
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from minor injuries to fatalities. These accidents can occur within the home and in surrounding 
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areas such as garages, gardens, terraces, and stairs (4). While unintentional home and 
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recreational injuries pose a risk for individuals aged 85 and older, outdoor injuries also pose a 
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risk for younger, older individuals (aged 75-79) (5).   
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Home accidents represent a significant health problem in terms of morbidity and mortality at 
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older ages (6). The frequency of home accidents is found to be three times higher in women, 
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2.7 times higher in individuals living with children, 2.3 times higher in visually impaired older 
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individuals, and 2.7 times higher in older individuals with poor health status. Moreover, 
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advancing age is considered a risk factor for home accidents (7). Various home accidents 
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include falls, burns, crushes, cuts, and electric shocks (8). Around 80% of injuries that 
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necessitate medical attention take place within the home environment, with a significant portion 
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of these injuries, approximately two-thirds, being classified as serious injuries, predominantly 
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resulting from falls and burns (5). 
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Similar to the global trend, the older population in Türkiye is rapidly increasing (9). While the 
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global average older population ratio was 9.9% in 2022, Türkiye’s older population ratio of 
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9.8% is close to the global average (10). These data indicate that Türkiye has a significantly 
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more ageing population (11). The prevalence of older individuals experiencing at least one 
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accident in Türkiye is 38.6%, with falls being the most common accident at 63.3% (6). As 
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reported in another study, more than half of the older population had experienced a home 
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accident in the previous year (59.4%), with falls (70.2%) and kitchen accidents (31.7%) ranking 
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at the top (12). Epidemiological characteristics of injured patients were examined in Tehran, 
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where traffic accidents and falls were identified as the two most common causes of injury (13). 
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Falls in the home environment account for over 33% of accidents and are the second leading 
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cause of death and the main cause of injury in more than 41.2% of cases. Falls during patient 
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admissions also impose additional burdens and costs on the healthcare system (14). The total 
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medical cost for treating fatal and non-fatal fall injuries in older adults exceeded $50 billion in 
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the USA in 2015 (15). “Falls” occurring in the bathroom, hallway, living room, or bedroom, 
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originating from the floor or stairs, can result in doctor visits and hospitalizations (1). Factors 
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contributing to increased home injuries include advanced age, economic hardships, obesity, and 
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comorbidities (5). Among older adults living in the community, a significant proportion of falls, 
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ranging from 10% to 38%, lead to non-fatal injuries, hospitalizations, disability, or a decline in 
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independence (16-18). Various risk factors have been identified in association with falls, 
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including advanced age, a history of previous falls, muscle weakness, difficulties with walking 
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and balance, dementia, impaired vision, arthrosis, diabetes, stroke, Parkinson’s disease, and 
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urinary incontinence (19). 
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Burns constitute another type of home accident in older individuals. Burn injury is one of the 
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most devastating types of trauma affecting millions of people worldwide, leading to severe 
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morbidity and mortality, with individuals aged 65 and above being the most affected 
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demographic group. The presence of comorbidities in older individuals leads to higher 
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morbidity and mortality in burns due to age-related changes in the central and peripheral 
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nervous system (20). 
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Older individuals may also experience traumas as a result of accidents that occur within their 
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homes. These traumas can have severe consequences for older adults, leading to increased rates 
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of illness and death (21). The proportion of older individuals presenting to Level I and II trauma 
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centers was 23% in 2003, which increased to 30% in 2009 (22). This rate is expected to reach 
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39% by 2050 (23). The cost of home accidents is estimated to be 3.5 times higher than that of 
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traffic accidents (24). 
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Decreased capacities of older individuals often result in limitations in daily life activities. 
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Ageing and declining individual capacities increase the prevalence of disease and disability 
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among older individuals. Living at home, associated with independence and autonomy-related 
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physical, psychological, and psychosocial benefits, is a desired and essential goal for older 
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individuals (25). Therefore, it is necessary to examine the factors contributing to home 
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accidents among older individuals to ensure home safety. Hence, this study investigates the risk 
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factors affecting home accidents among older individuals in Türkiye. 
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2. Method 
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This section will explain the specifics of the data utilized in the research, the variables 
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categorized as dependent and independent, and the methodology employed in the study. 
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2.1. Data 
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The research utilised microdata from the Türkiye Health Survey, published by the Turkish 
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Statistical Institute (TUIK) in 2019 and 2022. The most recent data available from TUIK’s 
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health survey is 2022. The Türkiye Health Survey is a significant research endeavour that 
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reflects the entire country and enables national and international comparisons. The dataset 
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offers a wide range of health indicators related to the well-being of infants, children, and adults, 
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along with insights into individuals’ access to healthcare services (26). 
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2.2. Outcome Variables 
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Older individuals are at risk for home accidents due to their developmental characteristics (2, 
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3). 
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The data obtained from individuals aged 60 and above were used in this study. The study's 
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dependent variable is the occurrence of home accidents, measured by the question, “Have you 
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experienced a home accident resulting in injury in the last 12 months? (Yes, No).” In the 
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established model, the dependent variable categories are assigned 1 if the individual has 
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experienced a home accident and 0 if they have not. 
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2.3. Independent variables 
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The independent variables included in the study are those available in the Türkiye Health 
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Survey. These variables were selected as risk factors based on the literature (5, 7, 19, 27-33). 
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The independent variables of this study are gender (female, male), education level (illiterate/less 
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than primary school, primary school, secondary school and above), marital status (single, 
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married), employment status (unemployed, employed), general health status (very good/good, 
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fair, poor/very poor), presence of arthrosis (no, yes), urinary incontinence (no, yes), wearing 
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glasses (yes/cannot see at all, no), experiencing difficulty in carrying or holding items (no 
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difficulty, some difficulty/considerable difficulty/cannot do at all), experiencing difficulty in 
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affording health care services (no, yes), and survey year (2019, 2022). 
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2.4. Statistical Analysis 
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Survey statistics in Stata 15 (Stata Corporation) were utilized to address the complex sampling 
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design and weights. Weighted analysis was conducted. Initially, frequencies and percentages 
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were obtained considering the home accident occurrence and years among the older 
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participants. Then, binary logistic regression analyses were employed to identify the risk factors 
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influencing home accidents in older individuals. 
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3. Results 
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