HIP FRACTURE INCIDENCE AMONG ELDERLY HISPANICS

Objectives. This study estimated hip fracture incidence for elderly Hi spanics in the United States. Methods. A cohort of Spanish-surnamed 19 92 Medicare enrollees was followed for 2 years. Hip fractures were ide ntified by inpatient diagnostic code. Results. For Hispanic women, the national age-adjusted hip fracture rate was 7.3 per 1000 person-years ; for men, the rate was 3.3. Rates varied markedly, with higher rates for the predominantly Mexican-American southwestern states than for Pu erto Ricans. Conclusions. Nationally, the Hispanic population is at in termediate risk of hip fracture between Blacks and Whites, but geograp hic variation suggests that Mexican Americans are at higher risk than Puerto Ricans.