Mortality and morbidity related to injuries from falls in British Columbia

Falls are a major health problem for persons aged 65 years and over. This s tudy examined differences in patterns of fall-related injuries and deaths b etween age groups, sexes, and among Health Regions of BC. For those under t he age of 65 years, fall-related injuries are highest among males, whereas for those 65 and over, falls among females exceed those among males by 2:1. For persons aged 65 and over, 84% of hospital days for unintentional injur ies involve falls, with transportation and "other" unintentional injuries c ontributing 16%. While older women are hospitalized more often for fall-rel ated injuries, more older men die from fall-related injuries. Hospitalizati on rates due to injuries from falls are highest in the Northern Regions of BC. Policy implications of the findings are discussed.