Incidence and influencing factors for moderate and severe fall-related injuries among older adults in Guangzhou: an analysis of injury surveillance data from 2015 to 2021

Objective To investigate the incidence and influencing factors of moderate and severe fall-related injuries among the elderly in Guangzhou, Guangdong, China, thus informing evidence-based interventions for fall prevention in the elderly population.

Methods To analyze the incurrence of moderate and severe fall-related injuries and identify influencing factors among the elderly patients, we collected data from 13 898 injury surveillance reports between January 1, 2015 and December 31, 2021 across four National Injury Surveillance Sentinel hospitals in Guangzhou.

Results moderate and severe injuries accounted for 38.53% (n = 5 355) of cases. Multivariate unconditional logistic regression analysis identified the following risk factors: female, non-local household registration, age ≥ 70 years, history of falls, and activity-specific hazards emerged during walking (OR=1.118) and essential life activities, particularly in unspecified locations. Autumn occurrence and road/street environments of falls were the protective factors.

Conclusions The incidence of moderate and severe fall-related injuries among elderly patients in Guangzhou is high. Key influencing factors include gender, age, household registration, history of falls, seasons, activities, and locations.