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Abstract
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Falls cause a major burden of death and disability globally, but the burden is not equitably distributed: while the age-standardised incidence of injuries from falls declined from 1990 to 2017 in high Socio-demographic Index quintiles, incidence increased in the low-income and middle-income quintiles.1
This pattern, however, is not surprising, given that falls--like many other injuries--are partly driven by social determinants of health, leading to gross inequities. Poor-quality housing, inadequate workplace safety, systemic and institutional racism, and the absence of standards for consumer product safety are all factors that contribute to the incidence of falls in resource-constrained settings worldwide. Recognising this substantial and inequitable burden, in 2021, WHO's Step Safely technical package was published to provide global guidance on fall prevention strategies.2
Internationally, there is a large body of research focused on building knowledge on the burden of and risk factors for falls in older people, but much less research exists on this burden across the lifecourse. In The Lancet Public Health, the GBD US Health Disparities Collaborators3
provide unique detail on fall mortality in US populations by race and ethnicity. With a focus on examining disparities, the research provides a county-level, time-series analysis of fall-related mortality stratified by race and ethnicity.
Unsurprisingly, the results reveal that older people had the highest rates of mortality due to falls and the largest increases in fall-related mortality over time.3
Falls in older people are major drivers of morbidity and mortality globally and, with rapidly ageing populations worldwide, implementing appropriate prevention measures is essential to curtailing burgeoning injuries and health-care costs. ...
Language: en |