Comparing Estimates of Fall-Related Mortality Incidence Among Older Adults in the United States.

Background: Falls are the leading cause of injury-related mortality among older adults in the United States, but incidence and risk factors for fall-related mortality remain poorly understood. This study compared fall-related mortality incidence rate estimates from a nationally representative cohort with those from a national vital record database and identified correlates of fall-related mortality.

Methods: Cause-of-death data from the National Death Index (NDI; 1999-2011) were linked with eight waves from the Health and Retirement Study (HRS), a representative cohort of U.