Mortality trend from falls in Brazilian older adults from 2000 to 2019

To analyze the trend of mortality from falls among older adults in Brazil from 2000 to 2019.

This is an epidemiological, analytical study with an ecological time-series design. A retrospective analysis was performed using secondary health data extracted from the Brazilian Mortality Information System in the specific period. Standardized rates of general and sex- and age-specific mortality were calculated. To observe the mortality trend, the Prais-Winsten model and the Annual Increase Rate (AIR) were used.

We identified 135,209 deaths resulting from falls in older adults in the period from 2000 to 2019. Mortality from falls in general, during the study period, had an upward trend (β=0.023; p<0.001; AIR=5.45%). We observed that both men (β=0.022; p<0.001; AIR=5.19%) and women (β=0.024; p<0.001; AIR=5.72%) had an upward trend. Regarding age group, the results also pointed to an upward mortality trend in all age strata, although higher in older people aged ≥80 years (β=0.027; p<0.001; AIR=6.38%).

There was an upward trend in mortality rates in Brazil during the time series studied. These findings suggest the importance of defining a line of care for this age group, focusing on promoting health in older adults and preventing the risk of falls, aiming at a reduction in the number of deaths from this cause and favoring the quality of life of this population.