Socioeconomic and living conditions are determinants of hip fracture incidence and age occurrence among community-dwelling elderly

• Published in: Osteoporosis international 2011-02, Vol.22 (2), p.647-653
• Main Authors: Guilley, E., Herrmann, F., Rapin, C.-H., Hoffmeyer, P., Rizzoli, R., Chevalley, T.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Age Factors; Age of Onset; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Biological and medical sciences; Diseases of the osteoarticular system; Endocrinology; Female; Fractures; Hip Fractures - economics; Hip Fractures - epidemiology; Hip joint; Humans; Incidence; Injuries of the limb. Injuries of the spine; Living conditions; Male; Medical sciences; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Middle Aged; Older people; Original Article; Orthopedics; Osteoporosis. Osteomalacia. Paget disease; Prospective Studies; Residence Characteristics; Rheumatology; Risk Factors; Rural Health; Socioeconomic Factors; Switzerland - epidemiology; Traumas. Diseases due to physical agents; Urban Health
• ISSN: 0937-941X; 1433-2965
• DOI: 10.1007/s00198-010-1287-1

Summary In this prospective, 10-year study in community-dwelling elderly aged 50 years and over, hip fracture incidence and accordingly age at hip fracture were inversely associated with the area-level income, independently of the geographical area. Age at hip fracture also depended of marital status but in a gender-specific way. Purpose The purpose of this study is to investigate the impact of socioeconomic and living conditions on hip fracture incidence and age occurrence among community-dwelling elderly. Method Between January 1991 and December 2000, 2,454 hip fractures were recorded in community-dwelling adults aged 50 years and over in the Geneva University Hospital, State of Geneva, Switzerland. Median annual household income by postal code of residence (referred to as area-level income) based on the 1990 Census was used as a measure of socioeconomic condition and was stratified into tertiles (