Project

Swedish title: Provmetod för höftislag

Approximately 15,000–18,000 people suffer hip fractures annually in Sweden, mainly women (75%) and the elderly. Hip protectors have been on the market since the 1990s, but still lack unified standardized testing methods. By making testing available, product development is driven forward, and consumers can be confident that the product they choose is effective.

The purpose is to develop and make available a reliable testing method to measure the protective effect of hip protectors. The long-term goal is to reduce suffering and mortality caused by fall-related hip fractures.

Traffic safety benefit

In Sweden, at least 12,000 fall related injuries occur in the traffic environment annually, and half of these injuries result in permanent medical impairment, i.e. 2.2 times more compared to car occupants. The aim of the project is to develop test method for measuring the protective performance of hip protectors.

Key Words

Falls, elderly, women, hip fracture, hip protection