📄 Abstract
Introduction: Falls represent a relevant public health problem among older adults because of their frequency and their consequences for functional status, autonomy, and quality of life. In Chile, several individual, functional, and environmental factors have been associated with an increased risk of falls, highlighting the need to strengthen preventive strategies within Primary Health Care. Objective: To review the available evidence on the epidemiology, main risk factors, and fall prevention strategies among older adults in Chile, with emphasis on the role of Primary Health Care. Methodology: A narrative literature review was conducted through searches in PubMed/MEDLINE, SciELO, and LILACS, complemented by Google Scholar and institutional documents. Publications in Spanish and English from 2015 to 2026 were prioritized, with particular emphasis on studies conducted in the Chilean population. Results: The reviewed evidence indicates a high frequency of falls among older adults in Chile, with increased risk associated with advanced age, female sex, disability, visual and auditory impairments, sarcopenia, and other functional factors. Multifactorial strategies combining exercise, functional assessment, education, identification of modifiable factors, and environmental modifications have demonstrated usefulness in reducing fall risk. Primary Health Care represents a strategic setting for implementing these interventions and providing longitudinal follow-up. Conclusions: Falls represent a preventable and increasingly important public health problem among the older Chilean population. Strengthening systematic fall-risk assessment and multifactorial interventions integrated into Primary Health Care may contribute to reducing falls, their complications, and loss of autonomy.
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📚 How to Cite:
Ana Belén Valero Martillo, José Raúl Ugalde Ortega, Nelly Yolanda Quiroga Ortiz, Bryam Esteban Coello García , FALLS IN OLDER ADULTS IN CHILE: EPIDEMIOLOGY, RISK FACTORS, AND PREVENTIVE STRATEGIES IN PRIMARY HEALTH CARE. , Volume 12 , Issue 9, September 2026, EPRA International Journal of Multidisciplinary Research (IJMR) , Pages: 614 - 617 , DOI: https://doi.org/10.36713/epra31615