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| Journal of the New Zealand Medical Association, 03-July-2009, Vol 122 No 1298 |
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[full text] [PDF] Preventing winter falls: a randomised controlled trial of a novel intervention
Lianne Parkin, Sheila M Williams, Patricia Priest
AbstractAim To investigate the hypothesis that wearing socks over shoes improves traction on icy footpaths. Methods Randomised controlled trial involving 30 pedestrians (median age 21 years, range 18–70) travelling in a downhill direction on icy public footpaths at two sites in Dunedin, New Zealand. Intervention: different coloured socks applied over normal footwear or usual practice (unadulterated footwear). Primary outcome: difference in mean self-reported slipperiness on a 5-point scale. Secondary outcomes: falls, observer-rated slipperiness, observer-rated confidence, time to descend study slope. Results Two-thirds of participants (65%) had previously fallen on ice. Wearing socks over normal footwear was associated with a statistically significant improvement in traction; the difference in mean self-reported slipperiness scores between the control (n=15) and intervention (n=14) groups was 1.3 (95%CI: 0.4–2.3). Agreement between self-rated and observer-rated slipperiness was high (r=0.70). A higher proportion of the intervention group (71% vs 53%) appeared confident. One member of the control group fell. There was no evidence of risk compensation in the intervention group (difference in mean descent times 1.9 seconds, 95%CI: -6.1–10.0). The only adverse events were short periods of indignity for some members of the intervention group. Conclusion Wearing socks over shoes appears to be an effective and inexpensive method to reduce the likelihood of slipping on icy footpaths.
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