The science behind codes and standards for safe pedestrian walkways: Lighting and visual cues

Cohen, H. Harvey; Sloan, Gary

doi:10.1016/j.apergo.2015.07.002

Cited by 5 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 26 publications

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“…For example, recently published studies have highlighted the need for more research in the areas of changes in floor level, stairs, slip-resistance of floor surfaces, lighting and visual cues. [ 44 , 45 ] Studies have also demonstrated that impact-absorbing flooring significantly reduces the risk of injury in the event of a fall. [ 46 ] Other strategies to attenuate the impact force, such as hip protectors and martial arts training, may also reduce the risk of hip fracture following a fall.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Falls and Fall-Related Injuries among Community-Dwelling Adults in the United States

et al. 2016

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IntroductionFalls are the leading cause of unintentional injuries in the U.S.; however, national estimates for all community-dwelling adults are lacking. This study estimated the national incidence of falls and fall-related injuries among community-dwelling U.S. adults by age and gender and the trends in fall-related injuries across the adult life span.MethodsNationally representative data from the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) 2008 Balance and Dizziness supplement was used to develop national estimates of falls, and pooled data from the NHIS was used to calculate estimates of fall-related injuries in the U.S. and related trends from 2004–2013. Costs of unintentional fall-related injuries were extracted from the CDC’s Web-based Injury Statistics Query and Reporting System.ResultsTwelve percent of community-dwelling U.S. adults reported falling in the previous year for a total estimate of 80 million falls at a rate of 37.2 falls per 100 person-years. On average, 9.9 million fall-related injuries occurred each year with a rate of 4.38 fall-related injuries per 100 person-years. In the previous three months, 2.0% of older adults (65+), 1.1% of middle-aged adults (45–64) and 0.7% of young adults (18–44) reported a fall-related injury. Of all fall-related injuries among community-dwelling adults, 32.3% occurred among older adults, 35.3% among middle-aged adults and 32.3% among younger adults. The age-adjusted rate of fall-related injuries increased 4% per year among older women (95% CI 1%–7%) from 2004 to 2013. Among U.S. adults, the total lifetime cost of annual unintentional fall-related injuries that resulted in a fatality, hospitalization or treatment in an emergency department was 111 billion U.S. dollars in 2010.ConclusionsFalls and fall-related injuries represent a significant health and safety problem for adults of all ages. The findings suggest that adult fall prevention efforts should consider the entire adult lifespan to ensure a greater public health benefit.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Falls and Fall-Related Injuries among Community-Dwelling Adults in the United States

et al. 2016

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…By improving the visibility of the stairs, stair users' gait can be altered to reduce the likelihood of fall. Some results of these gait alterations include increased toe clearance, increased heel clearance, faster walking speed, or reduced kinematic variance (Cohen & Sloan, 2016;den Brinker et al, 2005;David B. Elliott, Vale, Whitaker, & Buckley, 2009;Foster, Buckley, Whitaker, & Elliott, 2016;Foster et al, 2014;Jacobs, 2016;Schofield, Curzon-Jones, & Hollands, 2017;Shaheen et al, 2018;Skervin et al, 2021;Thomas et al, 2021;Zietz, Johannsen, & Hollands, 2011). In fact, Elliott, Foster and colleagues have demonstrated that vertical, monochrome striping on the face of the bottom and top steps can increase vertical foot clearance 0.8 cm for young adults and up to 2.1 cm for older adults (D. B.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Heel clearance can also be increased [(3.2 ± 1.9 cm to 4.7 ± 1.4 cm; effect size 1.07 (3)] by adding high contrast visual strips along the top front edge of all the steps (Cohen & Sloan, 2016;den Brinker et al, 2005;Foster et al, 2014;Thomas et al, 2021;Zietz et al, 2011). The addition of high contrast edging to each step has been shown to increase heel clearance during descent (<5 mm) and reduce the number of times the foot accidentally contacts steps' edges (D. B.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…By improving the visibility of the stairs, stair users’ gait can be altered to reduce the likelihood of fall. Some results of these gait alterations include increased toe clearance, increased heel clearance, faster walking speed, or reduced kinematic variance (Cohen & Sloan, 2016; den Brinker et al, 2005; D. B. Elliott, Foster, Whitaker, Scally, & Buckley, 2015; David B.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Stairway visual contrast enhancement to reduce fall-related events

Harper

Long

Corbridge

et al. 2022

Preprint

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Falls on stairs occur frequently and pose a significant health and financial risk. Laboratory research has found that fall frequency can be reduced through contrast enhancement of the stairs by applying vinyl striping to the first and last steps' faces, and all the steps' top edges. Here we sought to determine if such step contrast enhancement can reduce the probability of fall-related events such as loss of balance, slips, trips, and falls in public university staircases. Cameras were used to capture stair users' ascent and descent on contrast enhanced (striped) and control stairways. Observed age group, observed gender, traverse direction (ascent, descent), fall-related events, and walking speed (m/s) were recorded. Fall-related events were reduced for the striped stairway compared to the control stairway (odds ratio = 2.87, average marginal effect = 0.002, p = .023) when controlling for observed gender, age category, and traverse direction. These results suggest contrast enhancement of first and last steps' face and all steps' edges may reduce fall-related events in public settings. Adding contrast enhancement to public stairways is a simple and cost-effective way to reduce the loss of balance, slips, and trips that could lead to catastrophic falls on stairs as well as the health and financial burden associated with such falls.

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Comparing panic alarm systems for high-risk domestic abuse victims: a randomised controlled trial on prevention and criminal justice system outcomes

2022

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Background The use of panic alarm systems for victims of domestic abuse is becoming increasingly popular. However, tests of these devices are rare. Consequently, it is presently unknown whether domestic abuse offenders are deterred by warning stickers informing them that a panic alarm system is installed on the premises, or whether alarm systems reduce domestic abuse recidivism. There is also a lack of data regarding whether adding an audio-recording feature to the panic alarm results in more prosecutions of domestic abuse offenders compared to standard panic alarm systems. Measuring the efficacy of warning stickers and audio recordings will enhance understanding of the overall effectiveness of panic alarm systems for domestic abuse. Methods This study used a pre-test-post-test, control group design, in which 300 eligible high-risk domestic abuse victims in London, UK, were randomly allocated to either a standard panic alarm system or a panic alarm system with audio-recording capabilities and a red warning sticker on a durable, A6-size sign displayed at eye level at the entrance to the premises. Each sticker was well lit to ensure maximum visibility. The gain scores of multiple measures at 6 months prior and 6 months post-randomisation were used to assess the treatment effects (including the number of calls for service, recorded crimes, and harm score), and a negative binomial generalised linear model was utilised to estimate the likelihood of criminal charges for domestic abuse offenders in the two systems. Outcomes Pre-post comparisons of recidivism suggested an overall reduction in both treatment arms, but there were no statistically significant differences between the two types of alarm systems across these crime measures. Nevertheless, the estimation model indicated a significant 57% increase in charges using the audio-recording alarm relative to the standard panic alarm system. Conclusions Using deterrent stickers to warn domestic abuse offenders of panic alarm systems does not lead to a reduction in subsequent harm to victims. Compared to ordinary panic alarms for high-risk domestic abuse victims, audio-recording systems provide valuable evidence that increases subsequent charges, and thus, these systems should be explored further.

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The science behind codes and standards for safe pedestrian walkways: Lighting and visual cues

Cited by 5 publications

References 26 publications

Falls and Fall-Related Injuries among Community-Dwelling Adults in the United States

Falls and Fall-Related Injuries among Community-Dwelling Adults in the United States

Stairway visual contrast enhancement to reduce fall-related events

Comparing panic alarm systems for high-risk domestic abuse victims: a randomised controlled trial on prevention and criminal justice system outcomes

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