In-home and away-from-home falls among older adults in Türkiye: a nationally representative cross-sectional study

Abstract Background Falls are a major source of disability in later life, but national evidence from Türkiye is limited. We estimated the prevalence and reported locations of falls and examined cross-sectional associations with in-home and away-from-home falls. Methods We analysed the cross-sectional Türkiye Elderly Profile Survey 2023, restricted to the non-institutional household population aged ≥ 65 years ( n = 11657; weighted population 8.6 million). Participants retrospectively reported whether they had fallen during the previous 12 months; fallers then reported locations. We estimated survey-weighted prevalences and fitted weighted logistic models with approximate robust confidence intervals. Results 24.0% (approximate 95% CI 23.2–24.9) reported at least one fall during the previous 12 months. Among 2774 fallers, 61.2% reported an in-home fall and 45.7% an away-from-home fall; these categories overlapped. In the self-respondent model ( n = 10348), severe walking difficulty (adjusted OR 2.36, 95% CI 1.97–2.82), depressive symptoms (1.59, 1.41–1.78), ADL dependency (1.48, 1.29–1.70), and female sex (1.19, 1.06–1.34) were associated with the retrospectively reported outcome after mutual adjustment. In the direct location contrast, self-reported dwelling and pedestrian difficulties did not distinguish away-from-home from in-home location. Conclusions One in four non-institutional older adults reported at least one fall during the previous 12 months, and both in-home and away-from-home settings were common. Because the data were cross-sectional and the environmental indicators were self-reported, the findings do not establish temporal or causal mechanisms. Prospective studies with standardized fall ascertainment and objective environmental measures are needed.