title: Fall Risk is Not Black and White.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine whether previously reported racial differences in fall rates between White and Black/African American is explained by differences in health status and neighborhood characteristics.
  
  
  METHODS
  Prospective cohort.
  
  
  METHODS
  Community.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study included 550 White and 116 Black older adults in the Greater Boston area (mean age: 78 years; 36% men) who were English-speaking, able to walk across a room, and without severe cognitive impairment.
  
  
  METHODS
  Falls were prospectively reported using monthly fall calendars. The location of each fall and fall-related injuries were asked during telephone interviews. At baseline, we assessed risk factors for falls, including sociodemographic characteristics, physiologic risk factors, physical activity, and community-level characteristics.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Over the mean follow-up of 1,048 days, 1,539 falls occurred (incidence: 806/1,000 person-years). Whites were more likely than Blacks to experience any falls (867 versus 504 falls per 1,000 person-years; RR [95% CI]: 1.77 [1.33, 2.36]), outdoor falls (418 versus 178 falls per 1,000 person-years; 1.78 [1.08, 2.92]), indoor falls (434 versus 320 falls per 1,000 person-years; 1.44 [1.02, 2.05]), and injurious falls (367 versus 205 falls per 1,000 person-years; 1.79 [1.30, 2.46]). With exception of injurious falls, higher fall rates in Whites than Blacks were substantially attenuated with adjustment for risk factors and community-level characteristics: any fall (1.24 [0.81, 1.89]), outdoor fall (1.57 [0.86, 2.88]), indoor fall (1.08 [0.64, 1.81]), and injurious fall (1.77 [1.14, 2.74]).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our findings suggest that the racial differences in fall rates may be largely due to confounding by individual-level and community-level characteristics.
authors: Institute for Aging Research, Hebrew SeniorLife, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, MA.
authors: Dan K
authors: DK
authors: Kiely
authors: Institute for Aging Research, Hebrew SeniorLife, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, MA; Division of Gerontology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, MA.
authors: Dae Hyun
authors: DH
authors: Kim
authors: Institute for Aging Research, Hebrew SeniorLife, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, MA; Department of Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, MA.
authors: Alden L
authors: AL
authors: Gross
authors: Institute for Aging Research, Hebrew SeniorLife, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, MA.
authors: Daniel A
authors: DA
authors: Habtemariam
authors: Division of General Medicine and Primary Care, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, MA; College of Nursing and Health Sciences, University of Massachusetts, Boston, MA.
authors: Suzanne G
authors: SG
authors: Leveille
authors: Division of Preventive and Behavioral Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA.
authors: Wenjun
authors: W
authors: Li
authors: Institute for Aging Research, Hebrew SeniorLife, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, MA; Division of Gerontology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, MA.
authors: Lewis A
authors: LA
authors: Lipsitz
keywords: aged; elderly; epidemiology; falls; health disparities; race; racial difference; risk groups; socioeconomic factors