[Fear of falling in elderly community-dwelling individuals].

Objective: To determine the association between fear of falling and health status, a history of previous falls and personal characteristics in a representative sample of elderly people.

Method: We conducted an observational, cross-sectional prevalence study in the community setting in Albacete (Spain) of 921 people older than 65 years old selected through simple randomization. Participants underwent semi-structured interviews about their history of falls, fear of falling, illnesses and sociodemographic characteristics.