Home and Neighborhood Context of Falls Among Black and White Older Americans

Bibliographic Data

ID12797799
AuthorsSafiyyah Okoye (0000-0002-4566-4068, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA, corresponding author), Laura J Samuel (0000-0003-2161-5031, Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing, Baltimore, MD, USA), Chanee Fabius (0000-0003-1217-8415, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA), John Mulcahy (0000-0001-7860-8225, University of Minnesota), Lisa Reider (0000-0002-5373-9197, Johns Hopkins University), Lisa M Reider (Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA), Sarah L Szanton (0000-0001-5418-4982, Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing, Baltimore, MD, USA), Jennifer L Wolff (Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA), Jennifer C Wolff (0000-0002-7898-3903, Johns Hopkins University)
Year2021
Volume33
Issue9
Pages721-731
Publication date2021-04-20
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueJournal of Aging and Health (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1552-6887 • E-ISSN: 0898-2643
PublisherSAGE Publishing (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.1177/08982643211009436
PMID33877940
OpenAlexW3155257162
LanguageEN
Citations received2
References cited45

Objectives: To examine social and physical environmental fall-risk factors in a nationally representative sample of community-living older adults overall and by racial group. Methods: We used data from the 2015 and 2016 rounds of the National Health and Aging Trends Study ( n = 5581) linked to census tract measures from the American Community Survey. Recurrent falls are defined as 2+ self-reported falls over 12 months. Results: Older adults with recurrent falls were more likely to have lower education, lower income, financial hardship, live in homes with disorder and disrepair and in neighborhoods without sidewalks, with high social deprivation, and in nonmetropolitan counties. Home disrepair, lack of sidewalks, and residence in a nonmetropolitan county were important fall-risk factors among White older adults only. Financial hardship was an important risk factor among Black older adults. Discussion: Environmental factors are associated with recurrent falls among older Americans and should be incorporated into fall-risk profiles and prevention efforts

Census · Census tract · Context (archaeology · Environmental health · Geography · Injury prevention · Occupational safety and health · Poison control · Population · Residence · Sociology · Suicide prevention · Balance, Gait, and Falls Prevention · Demography · Health disparities and outcomes · Medicine · Psychology · Urban Transport and Accessibility · Gerontology

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