THE RISK OF HIP FRACTURE AMONG NONINSTITUTIONALIZED OLDER ADULTS

The risk of hip fracture among the 7,527 respondents to the Longitudin al Study on Aging (LSOA) is prospectively modeled using logistic regre ssion techniques. Based on existing studies, a seven-stage hierarchica l model serially introduces ecological, demographic, and social factor s as well as general heals status before considering symptoms and dise ases conducive to hip fracture, falling history and body mass, and pre vious hip fract are. Interaction terms involving age and White women a re then introduced to explore novel hypotheses. Of the LSOA respondent s, 368 (4.9%) experienced hip fracture between 1984 and 1991. Signific ant risks of hip fracture were associated with age, female gender, Whi te race, being hospitalized (for any cause) in the year prior to basel ine, having fallen at least once in the year prior to baseline, and le aner body mass. The risk associated with increasing age diminishes ove r the life course. Similarly, the protective effect of body mass dimin ishes over the life course. Finally, previous ecological findings are clarified by identifying an elevated risk for White women living in th e rural South.