Midlife falls are associated with increased risk of mortality in women: Findings from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey III

Abstract

ObjectivesFalls are a public health concern for older adults but are also common among midlife adults. However, the consequences of falls occurring during midlife are not well understood. MethodsThis investigation assessed the relationship between falls and mortality among midlife adults using survey data from the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (n = 1,295), linked to the National Death Index. The relationship between recurrent falls (≥2 falls) in the past year and 10-year death rate was assessed using survey-weighted Cox regression. ResultsNearly 20 % of adults who died within 10 years of their interview date were recurrent fallers at the time of interview. For women only, recurrent fallers had more than 4-fold increased hazard of death within 10 years compared to non-recurrent fallers (HR = 4.41; 95 % CI:2.24,8.68). ConclusionsFindings suggest that midlife women are particularly vulnerable to adverse outcomes following recurrent falls. Fall prevention efforts should include efforts targeted at midlife women.