The Effectiveness of the Safety and Home Injury Prevention for Seniors: A Study Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial

Background: The majority of injuries among older adults occur due to unexpected and sudden incidents in the home environment. This study aimed to develop a protocol for the design of the health belief model-based program for preventing unintentional home injuries in older adults and to evaluate the effectiveness of the program. Methods: The study proposed in this protocol, Safety and Home Injury Prevention for Seniors (SHIPs), is a single-blind, parallel-group, randomized controlled trial. A total of 54 Korean older adults (≥65 years) will be randomly assigned to either (1) the intervention group (n = 27), which will receive the SHIPs program, or (2) the control group (n = 27), which will attend four lecture-only sessions. The efficacy of the program will be assessed via tests performed at baseline, 1 week after program completion, and 1 month after program completion, and analyses of the changes in injury occurrences, risk factors, preventive behaviors, beliefs about safety and injury prevention, psychological health, physiological function, and health-related quality of life. Expected Results: The SHIPs intervention is expected to reduce home injuries and enhance awareness and preventive behaviors among community-dwelling older adults. It may also improve their physical and psychological health and overall quality of life. Conclusions: The SHIPs intervention may serve as an effective community-based strategy to promote injury prevention and improve the overall well-being of older adults.