Risk for falls in community-dwelling elderly1 ; Riesgo de caídas en personas mayores que viven en la comunidad1 ; Risco para quedas em pessoas idosas residentes na comunidade

Objective: to assess risk factors for falls in elderly people living in the community. Methods: descriptive, cross-sectional, and quantitative study, developed in the Northeast region of Brazil with 221 elderly people living in the community. Data collection took place from June to September 2016 using structured instruments. An exploratory data analysis was performed with measures of central tendency, dispersion, and association between variables. Results: regarding the profile, there was an age group between 60 and 79 years old (75.6%); females (70.6%); married (43.9%); up to four years of education (33.9%); monthly personal income of up to one minimum wage (45.7%) from retirement (60.2%); three to five comorbidities (51.6%). As for the risk of falls, the Fall Risk Score classified as “high risk” stood out as predictors, followed by antiparkinsonian drugs, antidepressants and diuretics, hypoglycemia, hearing loss, pain, urinary incontinence, and neurological symptoms. Conclusion: it is necessary to establish individual and collective actions for the prevention and promotion of health because of the risks of falls. The health network must work to raise awareness that falls are a public health problem and, therefore, the need for targeted care is emphasized, avoiding consequences on the quality of life of elderly people. ; Objetivo: evaluar los factores de riesgo para caídas en personas mayores residentes en la comunidad. Métodos: estudio descriptivo, transversal y cuantitativo, desarrollado en la región Nordeste de Brasil con 221 personas mayores residentes en la comunidad. La recolección de datos tuvo lugar de junio a septiembre de 2016 con la utilización de instrumentos estructurados. Se realizó un análisis exploratorio de los datos con medidas de tendencia central, dispersión y asociación entre las variables. Resultados: en relación al perfil, se observaron franja etaria entre 60 y 79 años (75,6%); sexo femenino (70,6%); casados (43,9%); hasta cuatro años de escolaridad (33,9%); renta personal mensual de ...