The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Friday released new data on falls, giving more insight into how many people are falling, and getting injured or dying as a result of taking spills.
Falls are the top cause of injury and death in adults over the age of 65, according to the report. The new report used data from the 2020 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) and 2021 the National Vital Statistics System (NVSS). It included data on 127,724 people.
In 2020, 14 million, or 27.6%, of older adults reported falling. Slightly more women, or 28.9%, fell compared to the 26.1% of men who fell that year. Falls were more common in non-Hispanic White and non-Hispanic American Indian or Alaska Native persons compared to other racial or ethnic groups.
In 2021, there were 38,742 unintentional fall-related deaths in older adults. That same year, the estimate of fatal falls was higher than it was in the previous 20 years. The death rate was 91.4 per 100,000 men, and 68.3 per 100,000 women. It was higher among non-Hispanic White and non-Hispanic American Indian or Alaska Native persons compared to other racial and ethnic groups.
Some states had more falls in 2020 compared to others. For example, 19.9% of older adults reported falls that year in Illinois, while 38% reported falls in Alaska. About 27.6% of people in 18 states reported falls. One half of the Western and Midwestern states had higher percentages of people who fell; one quarter of Northeastern and Southern states and DC reported falls. In five states, the percentage of women reported more falls than men.
Falls are largely preventable, the CDC noted. The agency’s Stopping Elderly Accidents, Deaths and Injuries (STEADI) initiative encourages healthcare providers to screen older adults to see if they’re at risk for falling. Then they can use tools like home modification and physical therapy to intervene.
The report comes just after a report discussed how a new digital app called CatchU was able to screen people to assess their risk for falling.
