Fall Injuries Are Increasing Among Older Adults

The incidence of falls among older adults is increasing in the United States, according to the results of a recent study.

The researchers conducted a retrospective observational analysis that utilized 120.7 million Medicare claims, excluding Medicare Advantage, from January 1, 2016, to December 31, 2019. To be included, the claims must have been made by beneficiaries aged 65 years or older who had continuous coverage during each year. Fractures, wounds, dislocations, and contusions that required medical care were included. Also included were fatal injuries.

The results indicated that the mean national quarterly fall injury rate had an overall increase of 4.4%, or 1.5% annual growth, when adjusted for age and sex, from 1332 to 1391 fall injuries per 100,000 people. When compared with the 90th percentile of fall rates, counties in the 10th percentile had a 42.9% lower fall injury rate.

Of the total claims included, 55.8% involved women, 7.9% involved Black adults, 4.8% involved Hispanic adults, and 80.9% involved non-Hispanic White adults. Further, 55.4% of claims involved adults aged 65 to 74 years, 30.0% involved adults aged 75 to 84 years, and 14.6% involved adults aged at least 85 years.

“Our findings present population-targeted risk management opportunities to stem a growing and costly public health challenge,” the researchers concluded. “As injuries increase, improvement in policies and practices to prevent falls seem both possible and prudent.”

—Leigh Precopio

Reference:

Hoffman G, Franco N, Perloff J, Lynn J, Okoye Ss, Min L. Incidence of and county variation in fall injuries in US residents aged 65 years or older, 2016-2019. JAMA Netw Open. 2022;5(2):e2148007. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2021.48007