Entering and Exiting the Vehicle: Day-to-Day Activity, or High-Risk Endeavor Among Older Adults

Abstract

Background and Objectives

A primary concern of many older adults as they age is whether they will be able to remain in the community setting. This ability is impacted by their ability to commute to their surroundings as needed to attend occupational, leisure, or healthcare-related appointments in the community setting. Whether an older adult is able to independently drive or relies on rides from others, the first step to safe community transportation is boarding into and alighting out of a vehicle. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of boarding and alighting injuries across age demographics and describe demographic factors that may impact the prevalence of injury.

Research Design and Methods

This study was a retrospective, cross-sectional analysis. National Electronic Injury Surveillance System-All Injury Program (NEISS-AIP) data from 2017-2021 was analyzed through descriptive statistics and multivariable logistic regression.

Results

Findings indicate that the annualized estimate of injury is 209,797 across age groups. Older adults were found to have a higher rate of injury and hospitalization following injury.

Discussion and Implications

This study replicates earlier reporting on non-crash vehicle injuries occurring during boarding and alighting from 2001 to 2003. Continued research is needed to investigate methods of boarding and alighting injury risk reduction for vulnerable populations.

Fall Risk, Community Mobility, Transportation

Accepted manuscripts

Accepted manuscripts are PDF versions of the author’s final manuscript, as accepted for publication by the journal but prior to copyediting or typesetting. They can be cited using the author(s), article title, journal title, year of online publication, and DOI. They will be replaced by the final typeset articles, which may therefore contain changes. The DOI will remain the same throughout.