A Risk Analysis of Fall-Related Injuries Using the NEISS Database

摘要

Slip-and-fall injuries are ubiquitous. People slip and trip on a daily basis, and often, these incidents resultin falls. This paper examines the patterns of risk for slip-and-fall injuries in the United States using theConsumer Product Safety Commission’s (CPSC) National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS).A dataset was extracted that is representative of the entire U.S. population for three years (2005-2007).The analyses reveal increased risk for women and elderly individuals. The risk of a slip-and-fall injury istwice as high for females compared to males over much of the lifespan, and each year one out of every 100individuals over the age of 55 is expected to visit a hospital emergency room following a fall. In additionto characterizing the patterns of risk, possible explanations for the patterns are raised and discussed.