Epidemiological characteristics and disease burden of fall-related deaths in Chongqing,2012-2024

Ding Xianbin; Yang Xianxian; Jiao Yan; Chen Menghan; Li Huabing

doi:10.11986/j.issn.1673-873X.2025.10.10

Abstract：Objective To describe the epidemiological features and changing trends in disease burden of fall-related deaths in Chongqing and to provide evidence for fall-prevention strategies.Methods Fall-related death cases were obtained from the Chongqing resident cause-of-death surveillance system for 2012-2024.Indicators analyzed included crude and age-standardized mortality rates,age-specific mortality rates,years of life lost(YLL)rate,and average years of life lost(AYLL).Group com-parisons by sex and region were conducted using χ2 tests.Temporal trends in rates were expressed as annual percent change(APC)and average APC(AAPC),which were estimated by Joinpoint regression.Results The crude and age-standardized mortality rates from falls in Chongqing were 10.28 and 9.16 per 100,000 in 2012,and 18.80 and 10.72 per 100,000 in 2024,with AAPCs of 3.97%and 0.13%,respectively;the changing trend in crude fall mortality was statistically significant(P<0.05).Segmented analysis indicated that the age-standardized fall mortality rose by an average of 4.38%per year from 2012 to 2018 and fell by an average of 3.94%per year from 2018 to 2024(P<0.05).Male fall mortality was significantly higher than female mortality in every year(P<0.05);male and female fall mortality increased on average by 2.68%and 6.51%per year,respectively,with significant differences in the changing trend(P<0.05).Except for 2014 and 2015(no significant differ-ence),rural fall mortality was significantly higher than urban fall mortality in all other years(P<0.05),and rural fall mortal-ity increased by an average of 5.46%per year,with significant differences in the changing trend(P<0.05).Age-specific trends showed declines in fall mortality of 7.77%,5.60%and 2.21%for the 0-4,5-14,and 15-64 age groups,respec-tively,while the≥65 age group experienced an average annual increase of 4.82%(P<0.05).The age-standardized YLL rate due to falls decreased from 305.40 per 100,000 in 2012 to 249.08 per 100,000 in 2024,with an average annual decline of 2.63%,with differences in the changing trend being statistically significant(P<0.05).AYLL and age-standardized AYLL attributable to falls declined by an average of 4.06%and 2.80%per year,respectively,with differences in the changing trend being statistically significant(P<0.05).Conclusion The overall fall-related mortality in Chongqing showed an upward trend,while the mortality-related disease burden declined.Men,rural residents,and individuals aged 65 years and older should be prioritized in fall-prevention efforts.