Introduction
Annually, approximately 250,000 people climb Mount Fuji in Japan. Nonetheless, only
few studies have examined the prevalence of falls and related factors on Mount Fuji.
Methods
We conducted a questionnaire survey of 1061 participants (703 men and 358 women) who
had climbed Mount Fuji. The following information was collected: age, height, body
weight, luggage weight, experience on Mount Fuji, experience on other mountains, presence
or absence of a tour guide, single-day climber or overnight-stay lodger, information
on the downhill trail (volcanic gravel, long distance, and the risk of falls), presence
or absence of trekking poles, shoe type, shoe sole condition, and fatigue feeling.
Results
The fall rate in women (174/358; 49%) was greater than that in men (246/703; 35%).
A prediction model using multiple logistic regression (no fall, 0; fall, 1) indicated
that the following factors decreased the risk of falls: male sex, younger age, previous
experience on Mount Fuji, having information about long-distance downhill trails,
wearing hiking shoes or mountaineering boots rather than other types of shoes (eg,
running shoes, sneakers) or worn-out shoes, and not feeling fatigued. Additionally,
the following factors may decrease the risk of falls in women only: experience hiking
on any other mountains, not being part of a guided tour, and using trekking poles.
Conclusions
Women had a higher risk of falls on Mount Fuji than men. Specifically, having less
experience on any other mountains, being part of a guided tour, and nonuse of trekking
poles may relate to higher risks of falls in women. These results suggest that different
precautionary measures for men and women are useful.
Keywords
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: March 02, 2023
Accepted:
January 9,
2023
Received:
October 9,
2022
Publication stage
In Press Corrected ProofIdentification
Copyright
© 2023 Wilderness Medical Society. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
