Approved Research

The impacts of lifestyle and regular medication use on fracture healing, postoperative complications, and long-term outcomes after fracture

Lay summary

Aims: This project aims to investigate the associations between (1) smoking habit, (2) alcohol consumption, (3) physical activity, (4) sedentary behavior, (5) dietary intake, (6) sleep, (7) night shift, and (8) regular medication uses and fractures healing, postoperative complications, and long-term outcomes after fracture.

Scientific rationale: Several studies have investigated the impacts of lifestyle on fracture healing and postoperative complications because of its modifiability. We have recently performed a systematic review and meta-analysis which is to investigate the impacts of smoking and alcohol consumption on non-pathological fracture healing. The results suggested that smokers significantly increased nonunion rate and deep surgical site infection rate. However, there is still lack of evidence concerning the association between alcohol consumption and fracture healing. In addition, the association between dose of smoking and alcohol consumption and fracture healing is still unknown due to the lack of studies that recorded dose of smoking or alcohol consumption. For impacts of other lifestyles and regular medication uses, several studies have investigated the associations between these exposures and fracture healing. However, there is still insufficient evidence for the guidelines to provide recommendations to improve these lifestyles and drug use to improve fracture healing. In addition, it has been shown that the long-term outcomes including cardiovascular diseases, dementia, depression, cognitive function, mental health, chronic pain, mobility and self-care, and mortality will be affected after fractures. However, the evidence of impacts of the exposures on these long-term outcomes after fractures are also insufficient.

Project duration: 36 months

Public health impact: People could change their lifestyle behaviors during their life course. In addition, doctors could improve fracture healing and long-term outcomes after fracture for patients through reasonable adjustments to medication prescriptions. The results will provide useful information on whether changing lifestyle behaviors and regular medication use will improve fracture healing and long-term outcomes after fracture.