title: [Social and environmental factors associated with the occurrence of falls in the elderly].
abstract: This article seeks to investigate environmental aspects that may be associated with falls among elderly residents in the state of Rio Grande do Sul. It is a population-based, descriptive, cross-sectional study, with primary data collection taken from an epidemiological study entitled A Profile of the Elderly in the state of Rio Grande do Sul. The study was conducted between the years of 2010 and 2011 with 6751 elderly individuals in 59 cities in the state of Rio Grande do Sul. The association between falling and the independent variables was verified by univariate and multivariate analysis, to estimate chances of falling, adjusted for sex and age. The frequency of falls was 10.7%. Factors detected to be effective against falling: being male, having higher education, perception of insecurity, placing of seats in public places and participation in social and civic activities. The following were considered risk factors: old age, use of walking aids and participation in community activities. The results remained significant after adjustment for demographic factors. Falling is commonly associated with physical and behavioral aspects, though social and environmental factors also prove significant in this respect.
authors.forename: Gustavo Nunes
authors.initials: GN
authors.lastname: Pereira
authors.forename: Patricia
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Morsch
authors.forename: Diene Gomes Colvara
authors.initials: DG
authors.lastname: Lopes
authors.forename: Margarete Diprat
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Trevisan
authors.forename: André
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ribeiro
authors.forename: Joel Hirtz do Nascimento
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Navarro
authors.forename: Denielli da Silva Gonçalves
authors.initials: Dda S
authors.lastname: Bós
authors.forename: Miriam Souza dos Santos
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Vianna
authors.forename: Ângelo José Gonçalves
authors.initials: ÂJ
authors.lastname: Bós
mesh_terms: D000058:Accidental Falls / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012307:Risk Factors; D012931:Social Environment; D058992:Social Participation