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Health Indicator Report of Fall Injury (Unintentional)

Falls are a leading cause of injury death for Utahns, especially those aged 65 and older. Additionally, in Utah, unintentional fall-related inpatient hospital charges for all ages totaled over $1.58 billion from 2016 to 2021.
Unintentional fall injury hospitalization rates are higher the older a person gets. Females had higher rates than males for the older age groups.

Unintentional Fall Hospitalization Visits by Age Group and Sex, Utah, 2017-2021

Data Sources

  • Utah Inpatient Hospital Discharge Data, Healthcare Information & Analysis Programs, Office of Research & Evaluation, Utah Department of Health and Human Services
  • Population Estimates for 2000-2019: National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) through a collaborative agreement with the U.S. Census Bureau, IBIS Version 2020
  • For years 2020 and later, the population estimates are provided by the Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute, Utah state and county annual population estimates are by single year of age and sex, IBIS Version 2022

Definition

The number of hospitalizations due to unintentional falls per 10,000 population. ICD-10: W00-W19.

Numerator

Number of hospitalizations due to unintentional falls (ICD-10 codes: W00-W19).

Denominator

Total number of persons in the population of Utah.

Other Objectives

{{style color:#1AA1B7 Healthy People 2030 Objective IVP-08:}}[[br]] Reduce fall-related deaths among older adults[[br]] '''U.S. Target:''' 6.34 deaths per 10,000 population Older adults are defined as adults aged 65 years or older.

How Are We Doing?

Unintentional falls caused 457 unintentional fall-related deaths in Utah in 2022; 87.1% (398/457) of deaths were among Utahns aged 65 and older. In 2021, females aged 65 and older had a significantly higher crude rate of hospitalizations due to unintentional falls (117.5 per 10,000 population) than males aged 65 and older (74.4 per 10,000 population). Note: 2021 is the most current year for which data is available for hospitalizations. 2022 is the most current year for which data is available for deaths.

How Do We Compare With the U.S.?

In 2021 in Utah, there were 19.1 hospitalizations due to unintentional falls for every 10,000 people (age-adjusted rate). This is significantly less than the U.S. age-adjusted rate of 32.0 hospitalizations per 10,000 people hospitalized due to unintentional falls in 2021.

What Is Being Done?

The DHHS Violence and Injury Prevention Program (VIPP) receives funding from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to collect traumatic brain injury surveillance data, including a falls-specific data module, for the state of Utah. This is done through review of hospital discharge data, vital statistics data, and hospital records abstractions. Local health departments and other community-based agencies have implemented evidence-based falls prevention programs, such as the Stepping On program and Matter of Balance program. These programs work to increase strength and balance, reduce fall hazards in the home, and build self-efficacy among participants to reduce the fear of falling. National research shows the programs reduce falls among participants. The classes are free to the public. The Utah Falls Prevention Coalition was established by the VIPP in 2011 with the purpose of developing a strategic, statewide response to the growing rate of falls among older adults in the state. Until this time, there had been no single, statewide response to address this public health problem in Utah. Many organizations were implementing falls prevention activities but resources and activities were scattered and disconjointed when looked at from a public health perspective. The Coalition has three main purposes: 1) bring together partners who have an interest in falls prevention among older adults, 2) develop goals and strategies on falls prevention among older adults to include in the Utah Violence and Injury Plan, and 3) ready the state for future funding opportunities on falls prevention.

Available Services

You can sign up for Stepping On classes near you at [https://healthyaging.utah.gov/] [[br]] Contact your local health department or senior center for more information on available classes.

Health Program Information

The DHHS Violence and Injury Prevention Program (VIPP) is a trusted and comprehensive resource for data related to violence and injury. Through education, this information helps promote partnerships and programs to prevent injuries and improve public health.
Page Content Updated On 02/27/2024, Published on 02/27/2024
The information provided above is from the Utah Department of Health and Human Services IBIS-PH web site (http://ibis.health.state.gov). The information published on this website may be reproduced without permission. Please use the following citation: " Retrieved Mon, 18 March 2024 21:53:24 from Utah Department of Health and Human Services, Indicator-Based Information System for Public Health Web site: http://ibis.health.state.gov ".

Content updated: Tue, 27 Feb 2024 14:03:14 MST