Quantifying Falls and Fall-related Injuries Among U.S. Adults

Objective: To provide estimates of the national prevalence of falls and fall-related injuries among all U.S. adults by age and gender and trend of fall-related injuries among U.S adults.

Methods: We used data from the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) 2008 supplement to provide a national estimate of falls, and pooled data from the NHIS (2004 to 2013) to calculate an estimate of fall-related injuries in the U.S. and their trend over the years 2004 to 2013.

Results: Twelve percent of U.S. adults reported falling in the previous year with a total of eight million falls at a rate of 37.2 falls per 100 person-years. On average 9.9 million fall-related injuries were reported each year with a rate of 4.38 fall-related injuries per 100 person-years.  The number of fall-related injuries in middle-aged adults and older adults was similar, and 68% of fall-related injuries occurred in young and middle-aged adults. The rate of fall-related injuries was higher among middle-aged women 55-64 years old than older men 65-74 years old.  We found obesity and self-reported health status were significantly associated with fall-related injuries.  The age-gender adjusted rate of fall-related injuries among U.S. adults has been increasing over the years 2004-2013.

Conclusion: Falls and fall-related injuries represent a significant public health problem for adults of all ages, thus adult fall prevention efforts should encompass the entire adult lifespan to ensure the greatest public health benefit.