@article{ref1,
title="Body mass index, falls, and injurious falls among U.S. adults: findings from the 2014 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System",
journal="Preventive medicine",
year="2016",
author="Ylitalo, Kelly R. and Karvonen-Gutierrez, Carrie A.",
volume="91",
number="",
pages="217-223",
abstract="Falls are an important health concern because they are associated with loss of independence and disability, particularly among women. We determined the age- and sex-specific prevalence of injurious falls among adults in the United States and examined the impact of obesity on fall risk. Self-reported falls, injurious falls, and health histories were obtained from 280,035 adults aged 45-79years in the 2014 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System. Body mass index was categorized as underweight (<18.5kg/m(2)), normal weight (18.5-24.9kg/m(2)), overweight 25-29.9kg/m(2)), class I obesity (30.0-34.9kg/m(2)), or class II/III obesity (≥35.0kg/m(2)) based on self-reported height and weight. Data were analyzed using weighted age- and sex-specific prevalence rates and Poisson regression. Overall, 11.0% reported ≥1 injurious fall in the previous 12months. Mid-life women 55-59years reported the highest prevalence of injurious falls (15.4%). Among mid-life women, overweight was associated with injurious falls (RR=1.17;95% CI:1.08,1.28), but overweight was not associated with falling among other age-sex groups. Class II/III obesity was associated with injurious falls among all age-sex groups. After considering the mediators like health conditions (depression, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, arthritis) and behaviors (physical activity, sleep), the association of class II/III obesity and injurious fall risk persisted only among mid-life women (RR=1.23;95% CI: 1.12,1.36). Not only are mid-life women at high risk for falls, but the class II/III obesity is a risk factor for injurious falls. Targeting mid-life women for fall and injury prevention is an important aim for practitioners, particularly given unique correlates of falling for this group.<br><br>Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier Inc.<p /> <p>Language: en</p>",
language="en",
issn="0091-7435",
doi="10.1016/j.ypmed.2016.08.044",
url="http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ypmed.2016.08.044"
}