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The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA |
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The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA |
Ellen Kramarow, PhD, Aging Studies Branch, National Center for Health Statistics, 6525 Belcrest Road, Room 790, Hyattsville, MD 20782, 301-458-4325, ekramarow@cdc.gov, Margaret Warner, PhD, Office of Analysis, Epidemiology and Health Promotion, NCHS/CDC, 6525 Belcrest Road, Room 750, Hyattsville, MD 20782, and Paula Friedenberg, MS, Biostatistics Center, George Washington University, 6110 Executive Blvd., Rockville, MD 20852.
 Falls are the leading cause of injury among the older population. Many studies of falls are based on small community- or institution- based samples. Reliable national estimates of fall-related injuries are rare. This paper uses a new data source, the redesigned National Health Interview Survey, to calculate injury rates from falls among the noninstitutionalized older U.S.population in 1997-99. Rates are presented by age and sex. Overall for persons 65 and older,fall-injury rates for women are twice as high as rates for men (87.6 injuries per 1000 population compared with 41.4). Characteristics of fall-injury episodes (place of occurrence and activity at time of injury) are described. In addition, we examine the consequences of falls such as the nature of the resulting injury (e.g., fracture to upper or lower extremity), whether the fall resulted in hospitalization, and whether the fall resulted in limitations in activities of daily living (ADL). In particular, we analyze the age and sex patterns of these consequences. Our analysis shows that nearly 22 percent of fall episodes among noninstitutionalized persons aged 65 and older resulted in ADL limitation and that the odds of being limited after a fall rise with age for both men and women. We extend these estimates to the population 50 years and older and discuss the public health implications of our results.
Learning Objectives:
Keywords: Elderly, Injuries
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.