title: Can health visitors prevent fractures in elderly people?
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess whether intervention by a health visitor could reduce the number of fractures, over a four year period, in those aged 70 and over.
  
  
  METHODS
  Randomised, controlled trial; randomisation by household.
  
  
  METHODS
  General practice in a market town.
  
  
  METHODS
  Of 863 patients aged 70 and over on the practice records, 674 were traced and successfully interviewed; 350 were assigned to the intervention group, 324 as controls.
  
  
  METHODS
  The people in the intervention group were allocated to the care of a health visitor. The approach was four pronged: assessment and correction of nutritional deficiencies, including reducing smoking and alcohol intake; assessment and referral of medical conditions such as heart block or inappropriate medication; assessment and correction of environmental hazards in the home such as poor lighting; assessment and improvement of fitness--for example, exercise classes for the moderately fit. The intervention continued for four years.
  
  
  METHODS
  Fracture rate over four years.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The incidence of fractures was 5% (16/350) in the intervention group and 4% (14/324) in the control group (difference not significant).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  A health visitor visiting a group of people aged 70 and over and using simple preventive measures had no effect on the incidence of fractures.
authors.affiliation: University of Wales College of Medicine, Cardiff.
authors.forename: N J
authors.initials: NJ
authors.lastname: Vetter
authors.forename: P A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Lewis
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Ford
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000517:prevention & control; D003152:Community Health Nursing; D005260:Female; D050723:Fractures, Bone / Q000517:prevention & control*; D006798:Housing; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009748:Nutrition Disorders / Q000517:prevention & control; D010809:Physical Fitness; D000074606:Smoking Prevention