INTRODUCTION: In Brazil depression is a public health problem. About 10 million people received this diagnosis in this country. The elderly falls are another serious health problem which is frequently related to depression. OBJECTIVE: To verify association between depressive states and number of falls. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Sectional study which used the GDS-15 and a questionnaire related to falls. For the descriptive analysis, test of normality and forces of association (Chi-Squared) it was used the R program, version 2.8.1, with the confidence level of 95%. DISCUSSION AND RESULTS: 78 old women were interviewed (mean age of 72 years). The percentage of depression was 21.8%. Falls were significantly associated with depression (p < 0,01). CONCLUSIONS: The percentage of depression observed in the study was relatively high if we compare with data in Brazil in 1999. The association between depression and a greater number of falls can indicate the need of attention of public policy. The lack of prevention can be related to a worse quality of life.
Aging; Depression; Accidental falls
