Atlanta ? The death rate from falling has risen dramatically for elderly people since the 1990s, said federal health officials, speculating that it’s because people are living longer with chronic conditions like cancer and heart disease.

“Since people are not dying as much from chronic diseases, they’re more likely to die from a fall,” said Judy Stevens, an epidemiologist with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Falling is the 14th leading cause of death among the elderly.

But Stevens, lead author of the study reported Thursday in CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, had good news to offer too.

Women’s hip fracture injury rates have dropped in recent years, probably because of osteoporosis screenings and bone-building treatments.

The CDC research is believed to be one of the first national studies to show a decline in hip fractures in elderly women. It also provides the newest federal data on elderly deaths from falls since 1996.