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Published on: February 25, 2013
Geospatial distribution of fall-related hospitalization incidence in Texas
Samuel D Towne1, Matthew Lee Smith2, Aya Yoshikawa1
11266 TAMU, Department of Health Promotion and Community Health Sciences, School of Public Health, Texas A&M Health Science Center, College Station, TX 77843-1266, USA.
Introduction:
With the rapid growth of the aging U.S. population, the incidence of falls and fall-related injuries is expected to rise. We examined incidence and characteristics of fall-related hospitalizations (falls) among Texans aged 50 and older, by geography and across time.
Method:
We calculated fall-related hospitalization incidence rates (65 and older), identified fall 'hot spots,' and examined availability of fall-prevention programming.
Results:
The incidence of fall-related hospitalizations for older adults increased by nearly 20% from 2007 to 2011. There were clusters of 'hot spot' counties throughout the state, many of which lack fall prevention programs.
Conclusions:
Increased efforts are needed to identify older adults at elevated risk for falling and develop referral systems for promoting evidence-based fall prevention programs at multiple levels accounting for geographic settings.
Practical Applications:
Geospatial investigations can inform strategic planning efforts to develop clinical-community partnerships to offer fall prevention programming in high risk areas.
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