Trends in Nonfatal Falls and Fall-Related Injuries Among Adults Aged ≥65 Years - United States, 2012-2018.
Level 4 - case-series / case-control
Repeated cross-sectional survey/surveillance analysis (BRFSS).
PubMed 32644982 · doi:10.15585/mmwr.mm6927a5
What was done
Analyzed self-reported fall data from the 2018 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) and compared them with BRFSS data from 2012, 2014, and 2016 to evaluate percentages, rates, and temporal trends of nonfatal falls and fall-related injuries among US adults aged ≥65 years across age groups and demographic characteristics.
What was found
In 2018, 27.5% of older adults reported at least one fall in the previous year, and 10.2% reported a fall-related injury. The percentage of older adults reporting falls rose between 2012 and 2016, followed by a slight decrease between 2016 and 2018. In 2018, fall-related injuries among older adults resulted in an estimated 3 million emergency department visits, >950,000 hospitalizations or transfers, and approximately 32,000 deaths.
Why it matters
Highlights the high national burden of falls among older US adults, underscoring the need for routine clinical screening, gait assessment, and medication management to reduce preventable injuries.
Limits
The abstract does not state the total participant sample size, confidence intervals, or specific subgroup percentages. Outcomes rely on 12-month retrospective self-reporting, which is susceptible to recall and reporting bias.
Cited by
- supports One in four adults over the age of 65 experiences a fall each year.