Major life events as antecedents to hip fracture.
BACKGROUND
This study sought to determine whether the number of antecedent life events reported in the year before hip fracture among elderly patients was normal for the population from which these patients derive. Major life events are events such as births, deaths, major financial dealings, and major health changes.


METHODS
Life events reported in the year before a fall and hip fracture for 111 hip fracture patients were compared with those of a control sample of 90 nonfracture, community-dwelling ambulatory elderly.


RESULTS
The total number of life events was higher in the hip fracture group (p = 0.0001) than in the community control group. Fracture was also associated with the number of events experienced (adjusted OR, 2.1; 95% CI, 1.6-2.7; p < 0.0007), notwithstanding age, marital status, and education.


CONCLUSIONS
Older persons who had sustained a fall-related traumatic hip fracture experienced an increased number of major life events compared with a nonfracture population sample of community-dwelling elderly controls.
Peterson
M G
MG
Department of Biomechanics, Cornell Arthritis and Musculoskeletal Diseases Center, Hospital for Special Surgery, New York, NY 10021, USA. petersonm@hss.edu
Allegrante
J P
JP
Augurt
A
A
Robbins
L
L
MacKenzie
C R
CR
Cornell
C N
CN
D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D006620:Hip Fractures / Q000209:etiology*; D006801:Humans; D008016:Life Change Events; D008297:Male; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires