Older Adult Falls Data & Statistics
Cost of Fall Injuries in Older Persons in the United States, 2005
As the U.S. population ages, both the number of falls and the costs to treat fall injuries are likely to increase. In 2000, falls among older adults cost the U.S. health care system over $19 billion, or $23.6 billion in 2005 dollars. Having information on the economic burden of older adult falls can help make the case to fund prevention programs and reduce overall health care costs.
Rate* of Nonfatal, Medically Consulted Fall Injury Episodes,† by Age Group
* Per 1,000 population. † Annualized rates of injury episodes for which a health-care professional was contacted either in person or by telephone for advice or treatment. An injury episode refers to a traumatic event in which the person experienced one or more injuries from an external cause. § Estimates are based on household interviews of a sample of the civilian, noninstitutionalized population. ¶ 95% confidence interval.
In 2010, the overall rate of nonfatal fall injury episodes for which a health-care professional was contacted was 43 per 1,000 population. Persons aged ≥75 years had the highest rate (115).
Graphic source: MMWR Quickstats, 02/03/2012
CDC Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Reports (MMWRs)
- QuickStats: Rate of Nonfatal, Medically Consulted Fall Injury Episodes, by Age Group (Published February 3, 2012)
- Nonfatal Bathroom Injuries Among Persons Aged ≥15 Years --- United States, 2008 (Published June 10, 2011)
- QuickStats: Annual Rate of Injury Episodes† for Leading Causes of Injury, by Sex --- National Health Interview Survey, United States, 2004--2007 (Published February 19, 2010)
- Nonfatal Fall-Related Injuries Associated with Dogs and Cats --- United States, 2001--2006 (Published March 27, 2009)
Additional Data Sources
Web-based Injury Statistics Query and Reporting System (WISQARS)
www.cdc.gov/injury/wisqars
WISQARSTM (Web-based Injury Statistics Query and Reporting System) is an interactive database system that provides customized reports of injury-related data.
Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS)
www.cdc.gov/brfss/
The Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) is the world’s largest, on-going telephone health survey system, tracking health conditions and risk behaviors in the United States yearly since 1984. Currently, data are collected monthly in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Guam.
CDC WONDER (Wide-ranging Online Data for Epidemiologic Research )
http://wonder.cdc.gov
WONDER an easy-to-use, menu-driven system that makes the information resources of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) available to public health professionals and the public at large. It provides access to a wide array of public health information.
CDC Data & Statistics
www.cdc.gov/DataStatistics
The CDC Data & Statistics web site features interactive tools, surveys, publications, databases, and more.
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