Increased fall-related mortality rates in New Mexico, 1999-2005

In 2000, fall injuries affected 30% of U.S. residents aged ≥65 years and cost $19 billion. In 2005, New Mexico (NM) had the highest fall-related mortality rate in the United States. We described factors associated with these elevated fall-related mortality rates.

To better understand the epidemiology of fatal falls in NM, we used state and national (Web-based Injury Statistics Query and Reporting System) vital records data for 1999-2005 to identify unintentional falls that were the underlying cause of death. We calculated age-adjusted mortality rates, rate ratios (RRs), and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) by sex, ethnicity, race, and year.

For 1999-2005 combined, NM's fall-related mortality rate (11.7 per 100,000 population) was 2.1 times higher than the U.S. rate (5.6 per 100,000 population). Elevated RRs persisted when stratified by sex (male RR=2.0, female RR=2.2), ethnicity (Hispanic RR=2.5, non-Hispanic RR=2.1), race (white RR=2.0, black RR=1.7, American Indian RR=2.3, and Asian American/Pacific Islander RR=3.1), and age (≥50 years RR=2.0, <50 years RR=1.2). Fall-related mortality rates began to increase exponentially at age 50 years, which was 15 years younger than the national trend. NM non-Hispanic individuals had the highest demographic-specific fall-related mortality rate (11.8 per 100,000 population, 95% CI 11.0, 12.5). NM's 69.5% increase in fall-related mortality rate was approximately twice the U.S. increase (31.9%); the increase among non-Hispanic people (86.2%) was twice that among Hispanic people (43.5%).

NM's fall-related mortality rate was twice the U.S. rate; exhibited a greater increase than the U.S. rate; and persisted across sex, ethnicity, and race. Fall-related mortality disproportionately affects a relatively younger population in NM. Characterizing fall etiology will assist in the development of effective prevention measures.