Abstract
Objectives. To estimate the prevalence and determinants of fall-related injuries in the previous year among adults aged 60 years or older in Ecuador. Methods. The prevalence of fall-related injuries was estimated using cross-sectional data from the first national survey of Health, Wellbeing, and Aging study. Logistic regression models were used to examine the associations between participants' demographic characteristics and fall-related injuries. Results. Of 5,227 participants with a mean age of 72.6 years, 11.4% (95% CI, 10.3%–12.7%) reported a fall-related injury in Ecuador, representing an estimated 136,000 adults aged 60 years or older. Fall-related injuries were more frequently reported among older adults residing in the most urbanized and populated provinces of the country. After controlling for potential confounders, self-reported race as Indigenous (OR 2.2; 95% CI, 2.11–2.31), drinking alcohol regularly (OR 2.54; 95% CI, 2.46–2.63), subjects with greater number of comorbid conditions (OR 2.03; 95% CI, 1.97–2.08), and urinary incontinence (OR 1.83; 95% CI, 1.79–1.87) were factors independently associated with increased odds of sustaining fall-related injuries. Conclusions. Fall-related injuries represent a considerable burden for older adults in Ecuador. The present findings may assist public health authorities to implement fall prevention programs among subjects at higher risk for this type of injury.
Highlights
Falls among older adults represent a major public health problem associated with increased morbidity, mortality, and health care costs [1, 2]
Of 5,227 participants with a mean age of 72.6 years (8.9 years), 11.4% reported a fall-related injury in the previous year, representing an estimated 136,000 adults aged 60 years and older in Ecuador
The results of the present study indicate that 11.4% of community-dwelling adults aged 60 years or older sustain a fall-related injury each year in Ecuador
Summary
Falls among older adults represent a major public health problem associated with increased morbidity, mortality, and health care costs [1, 2]. Previous studies have demonstrated that fall-related fractures treated in hospital emergency departments and hospitalizations for fall-related injuries are increasing among older adults in developed countries [4,5,6]. 44.2% of adults aged 65 years or older with fall-related fractures require hospitalization and hip fractures account for 48% of the hospitalizations for fallrelated injuries among women [4, 6]. There is scarce data about the epidemiology of fall-related injuries among older Ecuadorians, a previous study suggested that the incidence of hip fracture increased annually by 3.9% in Ecuador between 1999 and 2008 [7]. A study using data from the first national survey of Health, Wellbeing, and Aging described that 37.4% of older Ecuadorians sustain a fall each year. Recurrent falls occurred in 23.0% of the subjects and among fallers 30.6% reported a fall-related injury [8]
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