Citation

Ylitalo KR, Karvonen-Gutierrez CA. Prev. Med. 2016; 91: 217-223.

Affiliation

School of Public Health, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, United States.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2016, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/j.ypmed.2016.08.044

PMID

27575319

Abstract

Falls are an important health concern because they are associated with loss of independence and disability, particularly among women. We determined the age- and sex-specific prevalence of injurious falls among adults in the United States and examined the impact of obesity on fall risk. Self-reported falls, injurious falls, and health histories were obtained from 280,035 adults aged 45-79years in the 2014 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System. Body mass index was categorized as underweight (<18.5kg/m(2)), normal weight (18.5-24.9kg/m(2)), overweight 25-29.9kg/m(2)), class I obesity (30.0-34.9kg/m(2)), or class II/III obesity (≥35.0kg/m(2)) based on self-reported height and weight. Data were analyzed using weighted age- and sex-specific prevalence rates and Poisson regression. Overall, 11.0% reported ≥1 injurious fall in the previous 12months. Mid-life women 55-59years reported the highest prevalence of injurious falls (15.4%). Among mid-life women, overweight was associated with injurious falls (RR=1.17;95% CI:1.08,1.28), but overweight was not associated with falling among other age-sex groups. Class II/III obesity was associated with injurious falls among all age-sex groups. After considering the mediators like health conditions (depression, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, arthritis) and behaviors (physical activity, sleep), the association of class II/III obesity and injurious fall risk persisted only among mid-life women (RR=1.23;95% CI: 1.12,1.36). Not only are mid-life women at high risk for falls, but the class II/III obesity is a risk factor for injurious falls. Targeting mid-life women for fall and injury prevention is an important aim for practitioners, particularly given unique correlates of falling for this group.

Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Language: en