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BACKGROUND: In the United States, one-third of adults age 65 and older fall each year. Falls can result in injury and potential death. The purpose of this study is to look for differences between injured and uninjured adults 45 years old and older who fell in the past year.
METHODS: Florida Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance Survey (BRFSS) 2012 data were analyzed. Falls and fall-related injuries were based on self-report. Approximately 1,492 adults 45 years old and older reported falling in the past year. BRFSS data were weighted to be representative of adults in Florida. Statistical analysis was performed with SAS v. 9.3. Chi-square statistics were used to compare respondents who were injured and uninjured in a fall. Odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated.
RESULTS: Among adults 45 years old and older, 23.6% experienced a fall in the 12 months before the BRFSS survey. 45.1% of these adults were injured. There was a significantly higher prevalence of injury among people with an annual income less than $25,000 compared to people with an annual income greater than $50,000. Compared to people who remained uninjured in a fall, people who were injured had significantly higher odds of ever having a stroke (OR 2.5, CI 1.5-4.1), ever having arthritis (OR 1.8, CI 1.3-2.4), ever having depression (OR 1.6, CI 1.1-2.2), ever having vision problems (OR 1.6, CI 1.1-2.2), or experiencing more than one fall in the past year (OR 1.9, CI 1.4-2.6). People who were injured also had significantly higher odds of currently taking medicine for a mental health issue, having poor physical health 14 or more days in the past month, having poor mental health 14 or more days in the past month, and having a health problem that requires special equipment. There was no significant difference between genders or between adults younger than 65 and adults 65 years old and older. The odds of being injured were higher among adults 85 years old and older compared to adults 45 to 84 years old (OR 1.9, CI 1.1-3.1).
CONCLUSIONS: Limitations to this study include lack of information on causality. It is unknown whether the health conditions began prior to or after the fall. The findings of this study will contribute to the general knowledge of fall-related injuries and allow public health professionals to better understand who is at higher risk for injury as a result of a fall.